Imphal, August 16: The Federation of Regional Indigenous Society (FREINDS) Manipur has appealed to all the house owners not to let any room to tenants without relevant identity cards or domicile certificates issued by the Deputy Commissioners concerned.

Speaking to reporters today, FREINDS president Sapamcha Jadumani asserted that the ever increasing influx of people from outside the State has become causes or agents of various crimes besides unwittingly providing safe haven to many absconding criminals.

Citing the recent cases of one Ram Ratam sodomizing a 6-year old boy at Chingamathak on August 12, molestation of a girl by three barbers��Dillip Thakur, Sattu Thakur and Sankar Thakur at Lamphel Super Market on July 1 in which cases all the accused are natives of Bihar and the arrest of criminals wanted in Assam and Meghalaya for killing and kidnapping children there from Manipur, Jadumani urged for proper verification of the identities of outsiders before letting rooms to them.

Consequent upon abolition of the system of providing passports or permits to outsiders coming to the State which had been in force since 1936 by the then Chief Commissioner Himat Singh in 1950, there has been a sudden spurt in the population of outsiders in the State.

According to 2001 census report, these outsiders/non-indigenous people constitute 7.4 lakhs of the total population of 23 lakhs, he noted.

In case the State fails to give a serious thought to the matter and do not take up necessary measures in time, crime rates will soar up and the indigenous people will definitely face the undesirable situation of Tripuris and Assamese.

Such a situation will ultimately make the indigenous people a minority in their own native land.

Considering all these points, it is imperative for the house owners to check the identity cards of the outsiders before letting rooms to them, Jadumani observed.

He further asserted that it is a grave mistake on the part of the State Government to let in all these people from outside the State to reside in Manipur without ever checking their criminal records even though the State Govt has been checking vehicles brought to the State for possible involvement in criminal cases.

Saying that every citizen may settle in any part of India as per its Constitution, FREINDS general secretary Joy Chingakham clarified that it does not oppose outsiders doing business in Manipur.

However, FREINDS will never accept imposition of alien culture as well as all the elements which pose threat to the unique identity of the State, Joy said.

Recalling the case of business men from outside the State supplying industrial oxygen to hospitals in 2005, Joy noted that outsiders committing criminal activities is not new in Manipur.

At present, these non-indigenous business people are supplying unauthentic life saving drugs to the State.

Conveying that the FREINDS will raise the matter with the State Govt, he too appealed to all the house owners not to let rooms to outsiders without genuine identity cards and domicile certificates.

Comment