IMPHAL: Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh hailed the Assam Rifles for collecting biometrics of those who have been entering India illegally from Myanmar and said the influx of outsiders is "real and ongoing".
His comment comes after Assam Rifles Director General Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, while addressing a programme at Manipur University on Wednesday, said that from December 31, 2024, the paramilitary force had "mapped 42,000 people coming here".
"It is equally reassuring that these individuals are being kept under close watch, accommodated only at secure locations, and monitored under strict authority," Singh said on X on Wednesday evening.
He shared a video clip of the Assam Rifles DG addressing the programme.
Quoting Lakhera that "around 42,000 outsiders entered Manipur since December 2024", the former CM said, "I thank Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, AVSM, SM, DG Assam Rifles, for confirming that biometrics are being collected from illegal entrants crossing the Indo-Myanmar border.
"He also said, "The very need for such a measure underlines an undeniable truth that the influx of outsiders into our region is real and ongoing."
Singh said the message is clear that the Northeast is "not blind to what is happening, nor is it leaving anything to chance".
While addressing the interactive programme at the varsity, Lakhera said the biometrics of the outsiders have been taken and shared with all the agencies.
He also said that over 20 battalions of Assam Rifles are deployed along the India-Myanmar border and sought cooperation from the people to stop the influx of illegal immigrants.