India yesterday began deporting Myanmar nationals who had fled a recent surge in fighting between the ruling junta and rebels in a border region, a top state official said.

"First batch of Myanmar nationals who entered India illegally deported today," N. Biren Singh, chief minister of Manipur state which borders Myanmar, said in a post on social media platform X, without providing specific numbers.

"Although India is not signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it has given shelter & aid to those fleeing the crisis in Myanmar on humanitarian grounds with a systematic approach," Singh said.

Thousands of civilians have fled the fighting in Myanmar, crossing into India's remote northeastern state of Manipur.

Singh posted a video showing the Myanmar nationals, mostly women and children, being sent away.