Normal life remained paralysed across several valley districts in Manipur on Wednesday as the 48-hour shutdown called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), a Meitei group, against the Census until a National Register of Citizens (NRC) is done, entered its last day. The organisation announced a boycott of all government institutions starting Thursday as part of its agitation.
Meitei groups have been pressing for an NRC to identify undocumented migrants who settled in Manipur after 1951 from neighbouring countries and pose a threat to the state’s original inhabitants. Kuki organisations have accused Meiteis of trying to label them all as undocumented immigrants. In neighbouring Assam, an NRC was updated in 2019 to identify undocumented immigrants who came to the state after 1971.
JFD secretary Longjam Ratankumar Singh, said that as a part of the agitation against the government’s negligence of people’s demand on NRC before census process, boycott of all government institutions, both central and state, will be effective from Thursday. However, essential services and educational institutions will be exempted, he said. He also said that mass sit-in-protest during the day and torch rally during the night will be organised.
A government official requesting anonymity said attendance was low in most government institutions. Market places, educational institutions, and public transport were also affected in five valley districts including Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur.
Meanwhile, the North Indigenous Women’s Organisation (NIWO), a tribal community group also demonstrated a sit-in at Sekmai, Imphal West demanding the implementation of NRC.
Tensions also escalated between protesters and security forces at several places, including Lamlong market in Imphal East, and Kwakeithel in Imphal West, where protesters blocked Tiddim Road.
On Tuesday, Manipur government spokesperson Sapam Ranjan said a team was set to rush to Delhi to meet central leaders to press them to postpone the Census until an NRC is completed. He added that the Manipur assembly passed a unanimous resolution in August 2022 seeking an NRC before the Census, citing the demographic imbalance. In March 2024, the assembly reaffirmed the resolution.
A training programme for Census personnel was disrupted in Bishnupur on August 14.
Former chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh said he met with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi regarding NRC and got a “positive response”. He added that he discussed reconciliation and the demand for NRC during his stay in Delhi.
Singh said the Manipur government submitted recommendations on the issue twice in February 2023 and in 2024. He asked the people of Manipur to support the demand. Singh added that the issue should be pursued through democratic and constitutional means to safeguard the interests of the state’s indigenous population.
According to a government notification issued on March 22, the first phase of Census 2027 (House listing operation) in Manipur is scheduled to begin on September 1 for 30 days. Additionally, a self-enumeration facility will also be available for 15 days from August 17 to August 31.
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