Manipur to send MLA team to Delhi as 48-hour bandh intensifies NRC-before-Census demand

The Manipur government will send a delegation of legislators to New Delhi to take up with the Centre the growing demand for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before carrying out the Census in the state, even as a 48-hour shutdown over the issue disrupted normal life across the Imphal Valley on Tuesday.

Government spokesperson and MLA Sapam Ranjan Singh said the state remained committed to pursuing the NRC issue and would approach central leaders for guidance and intervention. The delegation is expected to press the Centre to consider the concerns being raised over conducting the Census before the NRC is updated.

48-hour shutdown

The development came as the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) launched a two-day general strike from Monday midnight, demanding “NRC first, Census later”. The organisation and other civil society groups have argued that carrying out the Census without first identifying undocumented immigrants could affect the accuracy of population figures and, subsequently, future delimitation.

The shutdown affected normal activities in several Meitei-dominated areas of the Imphal Valley. Shops and commercial establishments remained closed at several places, while movement on roads was disrupted.

The protest coincides with the Census self-enumeration exercise, scheduled from August 17 to 31, ahead of house-listing operations in Manipur from September 1 to 30.

Protests over the issue have intensified in recent days, with women vendors, students and civil society organisations joining demonstrations. Women vendors from Imphal's Khwairamband Ima Keithel have staged sit-ins, while students have organised rallies demanding that the NRC exercise precede the Census. A training programme for Census personnel in Bishnupur district was also disrupted last week.

Assembly resolutions

Ranjan said the state government's position was consistent with resolutions previously adopted by the Manipur Legislative Assembly. The House had unanimously passed a resolution on August 5, 2022, seeking implementation of the NRC in the state. The demand was reaffirmed by the Assembly on March 1, 2024.

The government spokesperson said the issue had also been raised with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and stressed that concerns surrounding the NRC and Census should be addressed collectively, cutting across political and community divisions.

Delimitation concerns

The demand for an updated NRC has remained politically sensitive in Manipur, where several Meitei organisations have repeatedly raised concerns over alleged illegal immigration and demographic changes. Groups supporting the demand have sought an NRC based on a 1951 cut-off, arguing that undocumented migration from neighbouring countries needs to be addressed before fresh population figures are recorded.

The issue has acquired added significance because Census data are expected to have implications for future delimitation. Civil society organisations spearheading the agitation fear that the inclusion of undocumented migrants in population figures could influence the redistribution of political representation.

The latest agitation comes against the backdrop of continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur, which has witnessed prolonged conflict since May 2023. With the Census exercise moving ahead and protesters hardening their position, the state government's planned outreach to New Delhi is expected to determine how the Centre responds to the demand.