42,000 People Coming From Myanmar Mapped Since December Last Year: Assam Rifles DG
A fact-finding tribunal in Manipur violence suggested setting up a permanent bench of the Manipur High Court in the hill region.
Published : August 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM IST
New Delhi: As many as 42,000 people coming from Myanmar have been mapped with the help of biometrics and various measures instituted by the government agencies since December last year, said director general of Assam Rifles (AR) Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera.
“After the new Free Movement Regime (FMR) policy came into effect, the Myanmar nationals entering India through crossing points are now being mapped. Since December, 42,000 individuals have been mapped with the help of biometrics and various measures instituted by all concerned government agencies. The data of this is being shared with all government agencies,” said Lakhera during a seminar at Manipur University on Wednesday.
He said that these Myanmar citizens primarily stay temporarily in the North Eastern states of India, mainly in Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram & Arunachal Pradesh and eventually revert to their country as per the provisions of new FMR policy.
The central government had earlier brought a few critical amendments in the FMR policy following the ethnic unrest that took place in Manipur since 2023.
While the FMR has not been entirely scrapped, its regulations have been tightened. The range of free movement has been reduced to 10 kilometers from the previous 16 kilometers, and stricter border controls are now in place.
Meanwhile, a fact-finding report on the ethnic conflict in Manipur has suggested that a permanent bench of the Manipur High Court should be established in the hill region. It also suggested the Supreme Court appoint an special investigation team (SIT) consisting of senior independent officers from States other than Manipur to monitor the cases arising out of conflict.
The Independent People‘s Tribunal report chaired by justice (retd) Kurian Joseph said that the hate propaganda and inflammatory speeches that led to the incitement and escalation of violence need to be prosecuted along with action against the authorities who failed to exercise their power to prevent it.
“Access to justice needs to be ensured for all and a permanent bench of the Manipur high court needs to be established in the hill region. There should also be a departmental inquiry as well as criminal action against those found to have violated the law in any way, not only by direct participation but also by omission to act appropriately,” the tribunal said.
The report highlights that the violence was not spontaneous, but planned, ethnically targeted and facilitated by state failures.
The report documented through the testimonies, a deep-rooted belief among survivors and victims, that the state either allowed the violence to happen or actively participated in it.
“Many deponents have attributed the flare-up of violence to the political and administrative decisions of former Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The state government downplayed the violence, made no significant arrests of radical groups like that of the Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun. Inspite of public demand of his removal, Biren Singh did not step down for a long time till February 2025,” the report stated.
The Independent People‘s Tribunal on Manipur was constituted by People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), a human rights body in 2024, in the context of prolonged state-wide violence and serious issues of failure of constitutional governance in Manipur.
The jury was presented with a stream of narratives that dominated the discourse around the conflict. “The narrative of continuous immigration of Kuki-zo communities from Myanmar, was heard commonly across testimonies by Meitei deponents. However, it was found by the jury from a study of data, that the allegation of population influx raised by Meiteis and also propagated by the political leadership, holds little ground,” the report said.
The jury found the relief and rehabilitation measures for the violence hit communities in Manipur, grossly inadequate, delayed and unevenly distributed. “Many relief camps suffered from poor sanitation and hygiene, inadequate healthcare, absence of mental health support and lack of livelihood and education restoration,” the report stated.
The tribunal recommended that there is an urgent need to establish mechanisms that will provide rehabilitation and livelihood to women specifically, who have been uprooted from their homes.
The report documents widespread sexual violence during the conflict which occurred both in the valley areas as also in the hills.
“Many incidents of sexual violence were unreported due to fear, trauma and lack of institutional support. The jury noted that even women sought protection from the police and security forces, they were not only refused, but there were instances when the police handed them to the violent mobs,” the report stated.
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