Imphal: Protests are growing in Manipur over demands for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be updated before the upcoming Census, with women’s organisations, students, civil-society groups and displaced families taking part in demonstrations in different parts of the state.
The campaign, associated with the slogan “No NRC, No Census”, reflects concerns among participating organisations about alleged undocumented migration, demographic changes, the situation of internally displaced persons and the possible impact of census figures on future electoral delimitation.
Bemlei Maibam, Secretary Organisation of the World Meetei Organisation, is among those associated with the campaign. Protesters say an updated citizenship register should come before the Census because population figures could later influence political representation, development planning and the distribution of public resources.
The wider agitation is being led mainly by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), along with student bodies and other civil-society organisations.
The groups argue that without an appropriate verification process, alleged undocumented migrants could be included in demographic data that may later influence electoral delimitation.
However, the scale of such migration and the specific claims made by different organisations require independent verification and should not be treated as established facts.
The protests also focus on people displaced by the ethnic conflict that began in Manipur in 2023. Protesters say that conducting an enumeration while many families remain away from their original homes could result in an inaccurate geographical representation of affected communities.
The slogan “No IDP Settlement, No Census” has also become part of the campaign.
Earlier this year, a rally in Imphal organised by a coalition of 14 civil-society organisations brought together students, women, displaced residents and representatives of indigenous communities. Participants demanded that the NRC be updated before the population-counting exercise and called for consultations with affected groups.
The campaign later spread through public meetings, sit-in protests and demonstrations in different parts of the Imphal Valley. In August, students formed human chains and organised rallies demanding that census preparations be suspended until concerns over citizenship verification and displaced families were addressed.
Representatives of the JFD Students’ Wing, on August 20, marched in Imphal and later met Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh. According to local reports, a delegation representing several educational institutions asked the chief minister to urge the Centre to consider an NRC exercise before the Census.
The protests also led to a 48-hour general strike that disrupted normal life in parts of the state. Women vendors and students took part in the shutdown, while demonstrations affected preparations for the census exercise.
Several district administrations reportedly postponed or cancelled training programmes for census enumerators and supervisors amid the protests. Educational institutions were also temporarily closed due to concerns over the law-and-order situation.
The demand for an NRC has also featured in government discussions. At a consultative meeting organised by the Manipur Home Department and the Manipur State Population Commission, participants discussed the state’s demographic profile, census preparations and demands for citizenship verification.
Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam has said the state government communicated to the central government its willingness to undertake an NRC exercise within the applicable constitutional and legal framework. However, this does not mean that an NRC has been formally approved, scheduled or implemented in Manipur.
The issue also involves an important legal distinction between the Census and the NRC. The two are separate exercises with different purposes.
According to the Government of India, the Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990. It collects demographic and socioeconomic information about the population. Inclusion in census data does not, by itself, confer Indian citizenship.
An NRC, in contrast, would involve a separate process for verifying citizenship and would require its own legal and administrative authorisation. Therefore, protesters’ argument that an unverified Census could affect future political decisions should be distinguished from any suggestion that census enumeration itself grants citizenship.
The Union government has scheduled Census 2027 in two main phases. Houselisting and housing enumeration are scheduled between April and September 2026, followed by population enumeration in February 2027 across most of the country.
Official information also states that the exercise will use digital data-collection tools and include a self-enumeration facility. The Ministry of Home Affairs reported in August that the first phase had been completed in most states and Union Territories, with the remaining operations scheduled to be completed by September.
In Manipur, the issue has taken on wider political significance amid concerns over displacement, demographic change and future delimitation. Protesters argue that the credibility of future policy and electoral exercises depends on accurate and trusted population data.
At the same time, citizenship and ethnic identity are sensitive issues. Authorities and civil-society organisations would need to ensure that any verification process respects constitutional protections, due process and the rights of all communities.
The protests are therefore not limited to the timing of the Census. Participating organisations are also raising questions about how displaced families will be recorded, who will be included in the population count and how the resulting figures could affect Manipur’s future political and social landscape.