Thousands of refugees settled in Manipur since 1960s: Ex-Chief Minister N Biren Singh

Imphal: Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday said that thousands of refugees settled in the state since 1960s with the knowledge of the authorities and those people were provided assistance for rehabilitation.

Singh, who resigned as the chief minister in February leading to imposition of President’s Rule in the restive state, also wondered what happened to those families and whether those people were added to the electoral roll.

His comments, made in a lengthy post on X, came a day after BJP MLAs of Manipur sought a “review” of the 2001 Census and implementation of the NRC before carrying out delimitation exercise in the state.

Singh, when he was the CM, and the Centre accused illegal immigrants from Myanmar of largely being responsible for the ethnic violence in the state which left more than 250 people dead since May 2023.

“Official records show that even before we became a full-fledged state, thousands of refugees were settled here with the knowledge of the authorities at the time. As early as the late 1960s and early 70s, documents reveal the presence of over 1,500 families who had crossed over and were provided assistance for rehabilitation,” Singh said in the post.

Manipur became a Union Territory on November 1, 1956, and was granted full statehood on January 21, 1972.

Singh asked, “What happened to those families? How were they integrated? How many generations have grown since then?... Were they eventually granted full rights? Were they added to electoral rolls?” These questions have never been fully addressed in the public domain and the issue has remained largely unspoken, even as the demographic structure of the state changed over the years, the BJP leader claimed.

Paokai Haokip, then Member of Parliament from Manipur, wrote a letter to KC Pant, Minister of State for Home Affairs, informing him about the presence of over 1,500 refugee families who settled in Manipur by 1967, Singh said in the post, sharing a copy of the letter.

“His correspondence is just one among several that confirm how deeply rooted and long-standing this issue is,” the former chief minister said.

Wondering whether Manipur was “a dumping ground for refugees from the very beginning”, Singh said it is important to ask whether there were legal mechanisms in place to ensure these individuals remained in refugee status.

“Were they extended benefits meant for indigenous communities? These are not small matters; they touch the core of our identity, our social balance, and the direction we’re heading in as a society,” he said.

Singh said it is time to revisit this chapter and not to assign blame, but to understand what happened, reflect on its implications, and chart a fair and balanced path forward, as the issue has far-reaching consequences and will shape the state’s present and future.

“From my experience in active politics and high office, I understand the weight it carries to a representative of the people. It’s easy to go with the tide, but true responsibility lies in standing firm on facts. We owe it to our people to be truthful, defend their dignity, and be forward-looking. That’s what it means to be a statesman, not just a politician,” he said.