Manipur’s ‘No NRC, No Census’ agitation intensifies over indigenous and displacement concerns

Protests over demands to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the forthcoming Census 2027 have intensified in Manipur, with students, women’s organisations, civil-society groups and internally displaced families participating in demonstrations across the state.

The campaign, widely referred to as “No NRC, No Census,” is driven by concerns over alleged undocumented migration, demographic changes, the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the possible impact of census figures on future electoral delimitation.

Among those associated with the campaign is Bemlei Maibam, Secretary Organisation of the World Meetei Organisation. Protesters argue that citizenship verification should precede the Census to ensure that population data accurately reflects the state’s demographic composition.

The agitation is being spearheaded primarily by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) along with student organisations and other civil-society groups.

Protesters have also raised concerns about the large number of people displaced by the ethnic conflict that began in 2023, arguing that conducting an enumeration while many families remain away from their original homes could affect the geographical representation of affected communities. The slogan “No IDP Settlement, No Census” has consequently become another key demand.

The campaign has included public meetings, sit-in protests, rallies and human chains across the Imphal Valley. On August 20, representatives of the JFD Students’ Wing reportedly met Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and urged the state government to request the Centre to consider an NRC exercise before the Census.

The agitation has also affected normal life, with a 48-hour general strike reported in parts of the state. Several district administrations reportedly deferred or cancelled training programmes for census enumerators and supervisors, while some educational institutions were temporarily closed amid law-and-order concerns.

The NRC demand has also figured in government-level discussions. At a consultative meeting organised by the Manipur Home Department and Manipur State Population Commission, participants discussed the state’s demographic profile, Census preparations and demands for citizenship verification.

Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam has stated that the state government has communicated 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 the state.

The Census and NRC are separate exercises with different objectives. The Census is primarily a demographic and socio-economic enumeration, while an NRC would involve a separate citizenship-verification process requiring distinct legal and administrative procedures.

The Union government has scheduled Census 2027 in two principal phases, with houselisting and housing enumeration between April and September 2026, followed by population enumeration in February 2027 across most of the country.

In Manipur, the issue has taken on wider political significance amid concerns over displacement, demographic change, citizenship verification and future delimitation.

While protesters insist that credible population data is essential for future policy and electoral decisions, any citizenship-verification process would also need to adhere to constitutional safeguards, due process and the rights of all communities.

The continuing agitation therefore goes beyond the timing of the Census, with protesters focusing on questions of who will be counted, how displaced families will be enumerated and how population data could shape Manipur’s future political and social landscape.