Manipur census row escalates as Meitei groups announce boycott of government institutions

Protests over the upcoming Census have intensified in Manipur, with the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), a Meitei organisation, announcing a boycott of government institutions from Thursday. The move comes as the group presses the Centre and the Manipur government to complete a National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census is conducted in the state.

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A 48-hour shutdown called by the JFD against the Census entered its final day on Wednesday, severely affecting normal life across several valley districts. Markets, public transport and other activities were disrupted, while attendance at government offices remained low in several areas.

JFD secretary Longjam Ratankumar Singh said the boycott of both central and state government institutions would begin Thursday as part of the organisation’s campaign against what it described as government inaction on the NRC demand. He said essential services and educational institutions would remain exempt from the boycott.

The organisation has also announced daytime mass sit-in protests and torch rallies at night as part of its continuing agitation.

The NRC demand has become a contentious issue in Manipur, where Meitei groups have been calling for the identification of undocumented migrants who they allege settled in the state after 1951. Supporters of the demand argue that an NRC is necessary to protect the interests and demographic identity of Manipur’s indigenous population.

However, Kuki organisations have strongly opposed the campaign, accusing sections of the Meitei community of using the issue to portray members of the Kuki community as undocumented immigrants. The dispute comes against the backdrop of the wider ethnic tensions that have affected Manipur.

Protests were reported at several locations on Wednesday. Tensions escalated between demonstrators and security forces at Lamlong market in Imphal East and at Kwakeithel in Imphal West. Protesters also blocked the Tiddim Road at Kwakeithel, adding to disruptions across the valley.

The North Indigenous Women’s Organisation (NIWO), a tribal community organisation, also held a sit-in protest at Sekmai in Imphal West in support of implementing an NRC.

The Manipur government has sought to take the issue up with the Centre. State government spokesperson Sapam Ranjan said on Tuesday that a team would travel to Delhi to meet central leaders and press for postponement of the Census until an NRC is completed.

The Manipur assembly has previously backed the demand. According to the state government, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution in August 2022 seeking an NRC before the Census, citing concerns over demographic changes. The resolution was reaffirmed in March 2024.

The agitation has already affected preparations for the Census. A training programme for Census personnel in Bishnupur was disrupted on August 14.

Former Manipur chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh has also backed the NRC demand. Singh said he met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi and received what he described as a “positive response” on the issue. He said the demand for an NRC, along with reconciliation efforts in the violence-hit state, was discussed during his meetings.

Singh further claimed that the Manipur government had submitted recommendations on the issue twice, in February 2023 and again in 2024. He urged people to pursue the demand through democratic and constitutional means while seeking to protect the interests of the state’s indigenous population.

The developments come shortly before the scheduled first phase of Census 2027 in Manipur. Under a government notification issued on March 22, the house-listing operation is scheduled to begin on September 1 and continue for 30 days. A self-enumeration facility has also been available from August 17 to August 31.

With the JFD’s planned government-institution boycott and further protests expected, pressure is mounting on both the state government and the Centre to address the NRC demand before the Census process advances.

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