The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has clarified that the organisation has never acted against the interests of the Meitei Pangal community and will not do so in the future. In a statement issued by Organising Secretary Takhellambam Parijat Singh, the Union stated that its concerns are directed solely towards the unchecked influx of illegal immigrants, which has been affecting the socio-economic and political fabric of Manipur.
The statement noted that this influx has also impacted the identity of the Meitei Pangal, and the observations made by the Union are based on official census records. It urged that before spreading narratives on social media, facts and figures should be verified.
Responding to reactions from certain Pangal-based organisations, the MMTU said that concealing facts about illegal immigrants among sections of the Meitei Pangal community is tantamount to encouraging their settlement. It reminded that about 1,000 Meitei Pangals migrated to Manipur in 1606 and were granted 63 surnames by the then king, whose descendants remain part of Manipur’s society. The Union also reiterated that those who entered the state before 1951 or 1961 are recognised as Indian citizens.
Citing census data, the MMTU highlighted sharp demographic changes. As per the 1961 census, the overall growth rate of Manipur stood at 6.23 per cent, whereas the Meitei Pangal growth rate was 30.62 per cent. Between 1971 and 2011, the growth rate of the Meitei Pangal population rose from 25.61 per cent to 46.06 per cent, compared to the state’s overall growth rate of 6.62 per cent to 8.81 per cent.
The 2001–2011 census data indicated exceptionally high growth rates in Meitei Pangal-dominated areas. These included 32.31 per cent in Kwakta, 27 per cent in Chingkham-Linlong, 25.63 per cent in Chaobok, 39.6 per cent in Hiyangthang (Tarahei Kongil & Palap Muslim), 41.76 per cent in Phoubakchao, 105.73 per cent in Laphupat Tera, and 174.08 per cent in Cherapur. Similar trends were observed in several other localities, including Jiribam.
Comparable patterns were reported in other districts as well. The 2001 census recorded a 136.33 per cent increase in Mao Maram, 99.15 per cent in Paomata, 120.38 per cent in Purul, 66.62 per cent in Chandel, 100.18 per cent in Chakpikarong, 54.48 per cent in Tengnoupal, 54.12 per cent in Saitu-Gamphajol, and 40.77 per cent in Churachandpur.
The Union stated that such growth rates are impossible without the presence of illegal immigrants. Quoting health statistics, it observed that the World Health Organisation places the average birth rate of women at 2.1, while the National Family Health Survey records 1.77 for Meiteis and 2.34 for Meitei Pangals. These figures, it argued, cannot explain the unusually high growth reflected in census data.
The MMTU further pointed to recent measures by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which issued a notification on May 19 to identify illegal immigrants. Following this directive, operations in Assam detected a large number of illegal Bangladeshi Muslims, and over 1,20,000 acres of encroached land were cleared.
In Mizoram, biometric records of 2,323 Myanmarese nationals and 3,000 Bangladeshi Muslims were collected between May 13 and May 18. Reports also confirmed that the Mizoram government has acknowledged the presence of around 32,000 Myanmarese in the state.