India’s Manipur State is planning to construct an additional 70-kilometer border fencing along the India-Myanmar border, said its Chief Minister N Biren Singh in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on 24 September.

The plan is aimed to control the rise in illegal immigration and drugs smuggling from Myanmar, he wrote.

"Held a meeting with the officials of BRO and deliberated the plan to begin construction of an additional 70 km of border fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border,… In view of the rise in illegal immigration and drugs smuggling from the neighbouring country, safeguarding our porous borders has become an urgent necessity."

The NDTV reported on 23 September that the Manipur chief minister asked the Home Ministry to cancel the free movement regime along the India-Myanmar border and complete its fencing.

“The government will continue to deal with the influx of ‘illegal immigrants’ and highlighted the need for complete fencing of the India-Myanmar border,” Singh told reporters, adding that the Manipur crisis was the result of unplanned policies of the previous governments, and not an immediate aftermath of any recent decision.

Manipur State shares a 400-km border with Myanmar and the fence is set up for less than 10 percent, making around 390 km porous and unguarded, which favours drug smuggling.

The India-Myanmar border is 1,600 km long in total.

Communal violence broke out in Manipur between the Meitei and Kukis since the first week of May.

Meiteis are the largest ethnic non-tribunal community, and they account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population. They mostly inhabit the Imphal Valley, while tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and typically reside in the hilly areas.