Assam Rifles clarified that 42,000 Myanmar nationals who crossed since December 2024 were fully documented, rejecting claims that they are “illegal immigrants.”
BY PC Bureau
August 21, 2025 — The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has strongly condemned what it termed the “deliberate misinterpretation” of the Assam Rifles’ statement on the influx of people from Myanmar into India, accusing former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh of twisting facts to vilify the Kuki-Zo community.
The controversy erupted after Singh seized on remarks made by Assam Rifles Director General Lt. Gen. Vikash Lakhera regarding the entry of Myanmar nationals into India. Speaking at function in Imphal, Lakhera recently disclosed that around 42,000 people have crossed into India since December 2024, fleeing turmoil in Myanmar. He clarified that their biometric data and credentials are being recorded under new procedures introduced after the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
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While the Assam Rifles stressed that these individuals were formally documented under the new protocol, Singh portrayed them as “illegal entrants.” In a post on X, the former Chief Minister thanked the Assam Rifles for “confirming that biometrics are being collected from ‘illegal’ entrants,” calling the influx an “undeniable truth” that proved outsiders were “still coming in.”
The Assam Rifles issued a clarification earlier in the day, rejecting claims that the entrants were “illegal immigrants” and reiterating that the new biometric system ensured due documentation.
Assam Rifles Shuts Up Biren Singh: All 42,000 Myanmar Entrants Documented, Not Illegal https://t.co/u7xcsNNp21 #AssamRifles #MyanmarEntrants #FMRProtocol #ManipurCrisis #BirenSingh #NorthEastIndia pic.twitter.com/PmbdGpsmnQ
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) August 21, 2025
KZC Hits Back at Singh’s Claims
In a statement issued by KZC spokesperson Ginza Vualzong the apex tribal body accused Singh of once again spreading a “false narrative” that endangered peace in Manipur. “Biren Singh, in his habitual haste and malice, has propagated his false narrative of ‘illegal immigrants’ in Manipur,” the council said, warning that such remarks could “inflame tensions in an already fragile situation.”
The KZC also criticised sections of the media for amplifying Singh’s comments without verification. “By spreading misinformation, they are stigmatizing an entire community,” the council said, urging the press to exercise greater responsibility.
Asserting its indigenous identity, the KZC said the Kuki-Zo people of Manipur were not immigrants but “sons and daughters of this land, whose history in the hills predates current political boundaries.” The statement also alleged that Singh’s tenure as Chief Minister was marked by “communal prejudice and targeted policies” against the Kuki-Zo, framing the present controversy as part of divisive politics.
The 2021 military coup in Myanmar triggered widespread conflict and displacement, driving tens of thousands to seek shelter in India. Many of those crossing the Indo-Myanmar border belong to the Chin-Kuki-Zo ethnic group, which shares close cultural and familial ties with communities in Manipur and Mizoram.
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While the Union government has avoided granting refugee status, state governments — especially Mizoram — have provided temporary shelter. The Assam Rifles, tasked with securing much of the border, has documented the influx under the new biometric protocol, even as New Delhi maintains that deportation remains an option.
Biren Singh, who stepped down as Chief Minister in 2024 amid spiraling ethnic violence, has consistently alleged that the Kuki-Zo community is “harbouring illegal immigrants” from Myanmar — a charge rejected by community groups and human rights organisations.
