Nagas wakeup to illegal immigration

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 4 (NNN): The ballooning population of ‘outsiders’ in Nagaland especially in the state commercial hub Dimapur has raised alarm. Civil society organisations in Nagaland are concerned about the presence of ‘illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’. However, to detect them, a concrete mechanism is yet to be found. The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and the Naga Council, Dimapur (NCD) are spending sleepless nights to address this issue in their respective ways. Several meetings have been convened by both the organisations in this respect.

Speculations have been doing the round, for sometime now, that a large number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are flooding into Nagaland through Assam. In Dimapur, the population of these immigrants is big but officially this has not been confirmed. Majority of the labourers in Dimapur are reportedly from Bangladesh. Construction works are carried out by these immigrants but when queried about their origins, these labourers often say they are from Dhubri district of Assam or from Barak Valley, Silchar or even from Karimganj.

Talking to Newmai News Network this evening, Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) President Kelhouneizo Yhome said since it is a sensitive issue they are handling it with extra care. He disclosed that it has been one month now that the students’ body is gathering a ‘census’. “Our federating units are doing the job of collecting census from their respective districts of Nagaland and once it is completed we will chalk out our move to filter the illegal immigrants”, stated Mr. Yhome, while adding, “We are doing this with extra care so that the genuine Indians are not affected nor their sentiment hurt.” However, it is not clear whether the NSF is taking the census of ‘outsiders’ from scratch or collating already recorded official data.

Meanwhile, interestingly on Gandhi Jayanti, the Naga Council, Dimapur (NCD) launched a ‘non-violent campaign against ‘illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’ in Dimapur. A sizeable number of people, both Nagas and non-Nagas, inked their signatures for this.