Imphal: India has detected around 42,000 illegal immigrants from Myanmar who crossed into Manipur without valid documents through porous border areas since December 2024, according to Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera, Director General of the Assam Rifles.
He made the statement during an event held at Manipur University on Wednesday.
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To counter cross-border infiltration along the Indo-Myanmar border, particularly in the Manipur sector, authorities have begun constructing border fencing along vulnerable areas, Lt. Gen. Lakhera said.
Security personnel have already issued identity cards to the infiltrators after capturing their biometric data, which they have shared with relevant agencies, including the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the agency responsible for generating Aadhaar cards. The Assam Rifles, he added, are closely monitoring the border situation in Manipur to maintain peace.
Reacting to the developments, former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh voiced his concern over the illegal entry of Myanmar nationals. In a post on X, he wrote:
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“I thank Lt Gen Shri Vikas Lakhera, AVSM, SM, DG Assam Rifles, for confirming that biometrics are being collected from illegal entrants crossing the Indo-Myanmar border. The very need for such a measure underlines an undeniable truth, that the influx of outsiders into our region is real and ongoing.”
Singh added that it is reassuring to see the authorities keeping these individuals under strict surveillance, housing them only at secure locations, and monitoring them closely.
“The message is clear. The Northeast is not blind to what is happening, nor is it leaving anything to chance,” he concluded.