Why N. Biren Singh’s Letter to Governor Must Be Treated as an Urgent Appeal to Safeguard India

Why does former Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh’s letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla demand immediate action? The answer lies in its urgent call to intensify the crackdown on illegal immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh, aligning with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) 30-day directive to verify undocumented immigrants.

For decades, N. Biren has championed a fervent vision to safeguard Bharat from the destabilizing effects of illegal immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh, a mission rooted in his unwavering commitment to national sovereignty and cultural integrity. His vision is a rallying cry for India’s security, urging immediate, coordinated action to preserve our nation’s enduring legacy.

This aspiration, long a cornerstone of his political ethos, finds powerful resonance in the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) directive of May 2025, which mandates all States and Union Territories to detect, identify, and deport illegal immigrants within a stringent 30-day timeframe. In his impassioned letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Biren Singh articulates a compelling case for intensified action, particularly in Manipur, a state bearing the brunt of this challenge. His intent is clear: to protect Bharat’s territorial and demographic fabric from existential threats, a goal now advanced by the MHA’s resolute policy.

On May 27, 2025, Biren also met Governor at Raj Bhavan to discuss critical issues facing Manipur, including the Gwaltabi incident, wherein security forces reportedly instructed the removal of “Manipur” from a state transport bus, igniting public outrage which is hoped to bring an amicable solution soon.

During this meeting, Biren reviewed his government’s initiatives under the MHA’s 30-day directive, encompassing biometric registration, verification drives, and deportations. He emphasized the complexity of identifying illegal immigrants, given significant influxes following Myanmar’s 1962, 1988, and 2021 upheavals. Therefore, urged the Governor to request an extension of the MHA’s deadline, asserting that these measures are indispensable for safeguarding national security and preserving Manipur’s cultural heritage, particularly amidst ongoing ethnic tensions.

Amid ethnic violence that has claimed over 300 lives and displaced 70,000 since May 2023, and under the constraints of President’s Rule since February 2025, Biren’s appeal is a critical blueprint for unified governance. Manipur stands on the frontline of India’s fight against illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and arms proliferation, with its very identity at stake. This letter is not just a policy recommendation—it is a fight for Manipur’s survival as well.

Biren’s letter grounds its urgency in Manipur’s storied history, tracing its origins to 30 CE as recorded in the Cheitharol Kumbaba, the royal chronicle documenting the state’s political and cultural evolution. The 1762 Anglo-Manipuri Treaty, signed between Haridas Gossain, representing Raja Jai Singh, and Harry Verelst for the British East India Company, affirmed Manipur’s sovereignty, fostering trade and cultural exchange while ensuring independence. During Maharaja Chandrakirti’s reign (1850–1886), Manipur’s boundaries were re-demarcated, aligning with modern limits and encompassing rivers like Jiri, Mukru, and Barak.

Historical texts, including Captain E.W. Dun’s Gazetteer of Manipur (1886) and Dr. Brown’s Statistical Account of Manipur (1873), detail the state’s vibrant socio-economic status. Major General Sir James Johnstone’s Manipur and the Naga Hills (1877–1886) emphasizes the Maharaja’s autonomy, noting that “the internal administration of Manipur had never been interfered with by us.” Upon merging with India in 1949, Manipur spanned 8,620 square miles with a population of 512,000, comprising Meitei, Naga, and Kuki-Mizo communities. By 2011, census data showed Meitei growth of 857% (130,796 to 1,251,307), Naga by 909% (59,904 to 604,171), and Kuki-Mizo by 2,505% (17,204 to 448,214). Biren attributes the Kuki-Mizo surge to illegal immigration, a threat to Manipur’s indigenous identity that demands immediate action.

Biren frames illegal immigration as an existential threat of India, exacerbated by Manipur’s 365-kilometer porous border with Myanmar and proximity to Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts. The blunder of 1950 abolition of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) by Chief Commissioner Himmat Singh, reversed in 2019 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left Manipur vulnerable. Myanmar’s upheavals—1962, 1988, and the 2021 coup—drove thousands of Chin-Kuki refugees into the state. A 1973 letter from an MP noted 1,500 Burmese families permitted to stay, setting a precedent for unchecked inflows.

A significant misstep occurred between 2006 and 2008 when the Congress-led state and central governments entered into a Suspension of Operations Agreement with Myanmar-based armed groups, including one led by Thanglianpau Guite, a former Myanmar MP and leader of the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA). As noted in a June 4, 2019, MHA letter, this agreement inadvertently legitimized the presence of foreign militants, allowing them to establish bases in Manipur and exacerbating security threats in Manipur and India as a whole.

The consequences are evident in recent incidents: a July 23, 2023, Assam Rifles report documented 718 Myanmar nationals entering Manipur; a July 10, 2023, Churachandpur SP report identified 11 Myanmar nationals involved in violent incidents, receiving treatment in the district; and a recent encounter in Chandel resulted in the deaths of 10 Myanmar-based militants. These events confirm that illegal immigrants are not only settling unlawfully but also engaging in destabilizing activities, often backed by narco-terrorist networks. Resistance from vested interests, including those profiting from illicit trades, has further complicated efforts to enforce stringent measures, highlighting the need for decisive action to curb this growing menace.

Large-scale illegal immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts has precipitated profound demographic shifts in Manipur, particularly among one community, posing a significant threat to the state’s indigenous identity and national security. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC) reveals an alarming proliferation of unauthorized villages in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. In Churachandpur, the number of villages surged by 187.46%, from 343 in 1972 to 986 (877 recognized and 109 unrecognized) by 2022. Similarly, Kangpokpi witnessed a 326.34% increase, with villages rising from 186 in 1972 to 793 (683 recognized and 110 unrecognized) in 2022. This unchecked expansion, often facilitated by illicit settlements in reserved forests, demands the urgent need for robust measures to curtail these activities, ensuring the preservation of Manipur’s territorial integrity and national security.

From 2017 to 2025, Biren’s BJP-led government implemented robust measures. A Cabinet Sub-Committee, formed in February 2023, led by Ministers Letpao Haokip, Awangbow Newmai, and Th. Basanta Kumar Singh, conducted verification drives in Singhat and Holenphai, issuing temporary IDs while restricting immigrant integration. A May 2023 biometric campaign enhanced surveillance, ensuring accurate identification and deterrence. Deportations included 29 ILP defaulters (December 2024), 38 Myanmar nationals (June 2024), 26 (January 2025), and 27 (March 2025). Since 2021, 5,567 illegal immigrants were detected, showcasing a commitment of the Biren led government to security through coordination with BSF, Assam Rifles, and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Further, his letter highlights the symbiotic relationship between illegal immigration and poppy cultivation, with an estimated 32,000 to 150,000 hectares under cultivation by Myanmar-based armed groups. The BJP-led government’s “War on Drugs,” aligned with the Prime Minister’s Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, destroyed 15,715 acres of poppy fields between 2017 and 2023, compared to 1,889 acres under the Congress regime (2013–2016). This crackdown inflicted losses of ₹12,480 crore on drug cartels, calculated at 10 kg per acre and ₹70,000 per kg. Seizures of narcotics worth ₹9,300 crore further disrupted illicit networks, yet provoked retaliatory violence from narco-terrorist groups, contributing to the ethnic unrest persisting since May 2023. Sustaining and expanding these anti-narcotics efforts is imperative to dismantle this vicious cycle.

In the letter, Biren highlights unregulated village growth, driven by misinterpretation of the Constitutional framework. Deliberate efforts to subvert administrative authority through the misinterpretation of legal frameworks have exacerbated the proliferation of unregulated villages in Manipur’s hill districts, notably Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, posing a grave threat to the state’s governance and security. Far from an incidental demographic shift, this phenomenon reflects a calculated, decades-long strategy to establish control over new territories by exploiting administrative mechanisms. A prominent example is the misrepresentation of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972. The Second Schedule of this Order explicitly designates “the appointment of succession of Chief or Headman” as a matter under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Hill Areas Committee.

However, certain parties have erroneously interpreted “of” as “or,” altering the phrase to “the appointment or succession of Chiefs or Headman” in published rules of the Manipur Legislative Assembly. This distortion has been leveraged to legitimize unauthorized leadership claims and facilitate the establishment of illicit villages, particularly in reserved, protected, and unclassified forest areas. Such administrative manipulation is particularly perilous amidst Manipur’s ongoing struggle with unchecked immigration, as illegal immigrants from Myanmar are frequently absorbed into these settlements under fabricated customary titles. This makes the state’s inability to intervene effectively, necessitating the adoption of scientific methods—such as satellite imagery and geo-tagged location data—to identify and dismantle these unauthorized enclaves, thereby restoring administrative integrity and safeguarding the territory of India in the farthest north east corner.

Biren’s letter is a stark warning: Manipur remains on the frontline of India’s fight against illegal immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh, illegal drug trafficking, and arms proliferation. The state’s demographic fabric, environmental stability, and socio-political balance are at stake. He pledges support for the MHA’s directive, framing the issue as existential, threatening Manipur’s identity and future. The unregulated influx has strained resources, fueled unrest, and enabled illicit networks. Despite detecting 5,567 illegal immigrants, the MHA’s directive demands intensified action. Singh’s call for more time for door-to-door verification reflects Manipur’s unique vulnerabilities.

The letter is a clarion call to protect Manipur’s demographic, cultural, and territorial integrity, rooted in the state’s historical sovereignty and the existential threat of unchecked immigration, which will be a problem for India in future. It is also an urgent appeal because Manipur stands at a precipice. Its historical sovereignty and cultural identity are under siege, and the MHA’s directive offers a critical opportunity.

Manipur remains on the frontline of India’s fight against illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and arms proliferation. The MHA’s directive is a milestone in realizing this dream, but Manipur’s vulnerabilities demand sustained commitment.  By urging Governor Bhalla to escalate efforts, extend the deadline, and empower legislators, former CM of Manipur  charts a path to stability. This is not merely a policy challenge—it’s a fight to preserve Manipur’s soul, demanding immediate, unified action.