Manipur civil society groups seek NRC update before Census, delimitation

Representatives of 14 civil society organisations from Manipur met officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi on August 24, seeking the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state before the Census and delimitation exercises.

The delegation, comprising representatives from Meitei and Naga organisations, urged the Centre to defer the Census and complete the identification of what it described as “original Indian citizens” through the NRC before any delimitation exercise is undertaken.

Shanta Nahakpam, convenor of the 14 CSOs, said the delegation discussed the sequencing of the Census, NRC and delimitation processes with MHA officials.

“We discussed the deferment of Census and how to go about the process of National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the delimitation exercise,” Nahakpam said in a statement.

The delegation later met Rijiju and raised the same concerns, including the need to identify “original Indian citizens” through the NRC before delimitation.

Nahakpam said the delegation conveyed that no delimitation exercise should be carried out until the identification process is completed.

The groups are also seeking further consultations with political leaders and are scheduled to meet BJP president Nitin Nabin, according to Nahakpam.

At least 10 representatives from various community organisations, including the 14 CSOs, the Kabui Union and the Rongmei Naga Youth Organisation Manipur, travelled to New Delhi on Thursday for consultations with the Centre.

Serto Kom, president of the Kom Union Manipur, had earlier said the delegation wanted to engage with the Centre on issues surrounding the NRC and Census.

“NRC is a very serious issue that needs to be understood,” Kom said.