Guwahati: The Mizoram government has issued a notice that forbids issuing birth certificates to refugees and those who are entering the country illegally with immediate effect.
A circular that was published on January 30 by the state department of Economics Statistics stated, “Certificate of birth or death should not be issued in respect of any illegal immigrants with immediate effect.”
The circular continued with the following statement, “In accordance with the decision of the inter-departmental coordination committee dated October 31, 2022, it is hereby informed to all concerned that registration of the events of births and deaths of illegal immigrants who are sheltered within Mizoram should not be done even if it occurred within Mizoram.”
The circular further said that any similar occurrences or certifications issued unlawfully in the past would be deleted from the birth/death register, along with all related certificates.
An official stated that because the regulations for registering births and deaths are too ambiguous, it was decided to register and give certificates to people who were born or died in the state.
According to a representative with knowledge of the situation, temporary identification cards handed to refugees following profiling cannot be used to apply for Aadhaar cards, driver’s licences, or to be added to voter rolls.