Imphal: The Naga People’s Union, Imphal (NPUI), has opposed conducting the census before the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), extending its support to the Joint Forum for Delimitation’s (JFD) campaign against the ongoing self-enumeration process.
In a press release, NPUI president M. Ngaranmi said the state government had failed to give any concrete assurance or positive response to demands for identifying illegal immigrants before the census is conducted.
Ngaranmi said updating the NRC was necessary to identify undocumented migrants and protect the land, identity and demographic interests of indigenous communities. He also raised concerns over unauthorised settlements and changes in the state’s demographic balance.
He called for a united and peaceful democratic movement by indigenous communities, while criticising state and local leaders for what he described as inadequate efforts to address immigration-related concerns and protect indigenous land rights.
Separately, Ashang Kasar, convenor of the Peoples’ Committee Manipur (NPCM), former head of the Indigenous People’s Forum and a member of the Naga community, has also called on indigenous groups to pressure the government to update the NRC using 1951 as the base year before undertaking any census or delimitation exercise.
The JFD, a civil society movement in Manipur led by convenor Jeetendra Ningomba, has been campaigning for the implementation and updating of the NRC before any fresh census or delimitation process is undertaken in the state.