IMPHAL: The Assam government has provided a list of Kukis who are seeking asylum in Assam, which would be given to the concerned Manipur government authority, according to an official report.
On Thursday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh instructed officers in-charge stationed in various bordering districts of Assam to confirm whether or not the Kuki refugees are actual citizens of the state.
The Chief Minister, who had previously said that those Kuki refugees expelled from Assam will be permitted to return to their home villages in Manipur provided they or their ancestors had lived in the state before 1961, is directing the verification process.
Following the announcement by Tuliram Ronghang, Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council in Assam, 700 Kuki-Zo people who had fled to the district in 2023 due of the unrest in Manipur have already been repatriated.
The process had been postponed after consulting with organisations and leaders in the Kuki community. According to Ronghang, the council had paid for the returnees' security escort travel expenditures. Around 1,000 additional Kuki-Zo residents, comprising about 400 families, are presently receiving refuge in the Singhasan Hills and Borjan districts, according to the council chief.
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