Manipur: Anti-Census protests continue amid demand for formal deferment order

An Imphal Valley group, seeking an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) ahead of the 2027 Census in ethnic violence-hit Manipur, went ahead with a shutdown, demanding official confirmation of the Union government’s announcement on Monday deferring the population enumeration exercise.

The Union government’s move came amid mounting violence and demands to update the NRC before conducting the Census.

The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) said the shutdown will continue as the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has yet to issue a formal order deferring the Census in Manipur. The 24-hour shutdown paralysed Valley districts of Manipur since early Tuesday.

In Imphal, the bandh supporters were seen blocking roads. Vendors at Imphal’s Khwairamband Ima Market launched an indefinite sit-in from Tuesday midnight.

JFD convener Jeetendra Ningomba said the shutdown will continue unless the postponement is notified in the government gazette.

Naga and Meitei organisations have held protests since August 16 demanding an updated NRC before the Census. The Kuki-Zo communities have opposed the move.

Meitei and Naga communities say that a Census without NRC could result in “demographic changes” due to the entry of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar. The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a Kuki-Zo apex body, has said NRC before the Census is “premature and unjustified”.

The KZC cited the experience of Assam, where the NRC, as per the Assam Accord of 1985, excluded around 1.9 million people from the final list and remained caught in legal challenges and appeals before Foreigners Tribunals.

JFD has been spearheading the anti-Census agitation. Its student wing locked down the Directorate of Census Operations, Manipur. Torch rallies have been organised in parts of the state, particularly in the Imphal Valley.

The Census was deferred a day before the house-listing exercise was scheduled to begin in the state, where 300 have died in ethnic violence since May 2023. The chief minister’s office said the decision came after Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting in New Delhi to “assess the current situation” in Manipur. It added that the move was announced considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur.

The Manipur high court on Monday directed that the house-listing exercise be kept in abeyance pending further notification. It is hearing petitions seeking an updated NRC before the Census. The court’s direction will remain in force until the next hearing on October 12.