Imphal, Aug 10: Manipur Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister Letpao Haokip has raised concerns over his appointment to a newly formed House Committee investigating illegal immigration and new village growth in the state.

The committee, established on August 6, 2024, under Rule 305A (1) of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, includes Letpao Haokip, who claims he was unaware of this decision and did not consent to it.

The Minister, along with nine other Kuki-Zo MLAs, has not attended the current Assembly session, making his participation in the committee questionable.

The committee, chaired by Water Resource Minister Awangbow Newmai, aims to address illegal immigration issues, with recent reports citing over 10,000 illegal immigrants in Manipur.

Manipur officials have reported detecting 10,590 illegal immigrants, and between March and June of this year, 115 illegal Myanmarese immigrants, including women and children, were deported to Myanmar. Before violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 last year, Letpao Haokip had led a Manipur Cabinet subcommittee responsible for identifying illegal immigrants
in 2023.