In 2023, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had directed Mizoram and Manipur to capture the biometric details of “illegal immigrants” in their states. The Mizoram government is waiting for instruction from the Centre to initiate biometric enroll:ment for over 33,000 Myanmar refugees in the northeastern state, a home department official said.
An official has reported that Mizoram is awaiting instructions from the Centre to start collecting biometric data of Myanmar nationals. “We are waiting for an instruction from the Centre. We will start the process of collecting biometric data of Myanmar nationals once we receive the instruction,” the official told PTI. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma previously mentioned that a biometric enrollment portal is ready and will be used soon.
The Mizoram government
In April last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs directed Mizoram and Manipur, which border Myanmar, to capture the biometric and biographic details of “illegal immigrants” in their states. By June, the Ministry instructed that the campaign be completed by the end of September and required both states to prepare a plan and initiate the process. Although Mizoram initially complied by conducting training and appointing nodal officers, the Council of Ministers decided in a September meeting not to proceed with the enrollment, citing the upcoming state assembly polls in November as the reason for the delay.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma
Chief Minister Lalduhoma stated that Myanmar and Bangladesh nationals who have sought refuge in Mizoram fear deportation due to the Centre’s directive to collect their biometric data.
In a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in January, Shah assured Lalduhoma that no refugees would be deported until peace is restored in their respective countries, according to the chief minister.
