How Manipur Can Execute a Credible NRC While Securing Land for its Indigenous People

The demand for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) has intensified in Manipur. Protests in Imphal starting from March, organised by groups like the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation, Civil Society Organization (Kangleipak) and various student bodies saw demonstrators clash with security forces while insisting that any fresh census be deferred until an NRC-like exercise identifies illegal immigrants, preferably using the 1951 Census as the base year. 

Unlike Assam’s 1971 cutoff under the Assam Accord, Manipur’s push centres on detecting post-1951 entrants, amid concerns over cross-border movements from Myanmar that accelerated after the 2021 military coup and ongoing civil conflict.

However, Manipur’s challenges differ from Assam’s. While Assam grappled with decades of Bengali-speaking migration, Manipur faces more recent demographic pressures in its hill districts, linked by many Meitei groups to reserved forest encroachment, poppy cultivation, unrecognized villages and resource strain.

The 1,643-km India-Myanmar border remains vulnerable, with fencing progress limited (only around 30 km completed as of early 2026 reports), repeated incidents of fence-cutting in Chandel district, and pauses in construction. The scrapping of the Free Movement Regime has helped, but enforcement gaps persist.

Assam’s 2019 NRC, despite Supreme Court oversight, fell short in the eyes of many stakeholders. Out of 3.3 crore applicants, it excluded only about 19 lakh — disappointing indigenous groups who expected far higher numbers of detections. Procedural issues included over-reliance on paper documents in a poorly documented region, rushed verification, allegations of both under-detection and wrongful exclusions (especially of genuine but landless or rural citizens lacking legacy proofs), and overwhelmed Foreigners Tribunals. 

Deportations remained slow for years, though recent steps in Assam (such as expedited pushbacks under the 1950 Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act in 2025–26) show some course correction.

Meanwhile, Manipur, with its smaller population of roughly three million and the Inner Line Permit system in place since 2019, has a narrower canvas to work with. A credible NRC here could restore demographic clarity and reduce tensions — but only if it learns from Assam’s shortcomings while simultaneously addressing the legitimate grievances of indigenous communities, particularly the landless or land-poor families concentrated in the Imphal Valley. 

Valley residents often face acute land scarcity due to high population density and legal restrictions on acquiring land in hill areas. Any successful strategy must therefore integrate rigorous citizenship verification with restorative measures for indigenous land and livelihood security.

Prioritise Ironclad Border Security as the Non-Negotiable First Step

No internal exercise can succeed if inflows continue. The central government must fast-track the Rs 31,000 crore border infrastructure project, complete fencing and patrol roads across the Manipur segments, and fully operationalise biometric gates with robust Assam Rifles presence. Intelligence operations targeting narco-trafficking and insurgent corridors are essential. 

Recent fence vandalism in Chandel highlights the urgency. Without effective physical and surveillance controls, any NRC risks becoming obsolete soon after implementation.

Establish Clear Legal Framework and Base Year

A Supreme Court-monitored process, notified by the Registrar General of India, would provide credibility and minimise political interference. Adopting 1951 as the base year aligns with widespread local demands and national precedents. It would help distinguish pre-1951 indigenous and long-settled residents from post-1951 entrants, focusing strictly on illegal cross-border movement rather than targeting any community. 

Transparent guidelines must prevent misuse and ensure the exercise does not create retrospective injustice for established populations.

Robust Pre-NRC Preparation to Avoid Documentation Failures

Launch a six-to-twelve-month statewide special documentation drive. Mobile camps should reach remote valley and hill villages to assist residents — especially women, children, and the elderly — in obtaining or correcting Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, birth certificates, and land pattas. 

Where official legacy documents are missing (a common issue in rural Northeast India), accept alternative credible evidence such as village authority certificates, community records, or corroborated oral testimonies, subject to rigorous cross-verification to prevent forgery.

Leverage existing data from State population commission and conduct a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as a preparatory filter. This phase is critical to reduce genuine exclusions that plagued Assam.

Technology-Driven, and Phased Verification Process

Shift from Assam’s largely manual approach to a modern system integrating biometrics, AI-assisted database linkage (Aadhaar, electoral rolls, and census archives), and multi-source verification. Implement the exercise in phases, beginning with high-influx border districts like Kamjong, Chandel and Tengnoupal. Publish draft lists with sufficient time for claims and objections.

Establish a multi-stakeholder oversight committee with credible representatives from Meitei, Kuki, and Naga communities, plus judicial nominees, to monitor proceedings and address bias concerns. Move away from a purely adversarial model by sharing the burden of proof: provide free legal aid and allow presumptive inclusion for claimants with partial but credible evidence.

Efficient, Humane Post-Verification Mechanisms

Create dedicated, time-bound Foreigners Tribunals with clear appeal routes to the Manipur High Court. Prioritise voluntary repatriation through diplomatic coordination with Myanmar, using detention only as a last resort and ensuring no one is rendered stateless. 

Citizenship verification alone cannot resolve deeper structural issues. Many indigenous families in the valley remain landless or marginally landed, facing economic constraints and heightened insecurity amid ethnic tensions. 

With thousands still affected by violence since 2023, fast-track permanent housing in secure locations for landless indigenous families from relief camps. Combine this with livelihood grants to encourage early return and normalcy.

We can also bolster mechanisms similar to the Protection of Manipur People Bill to regulate outsider settlements and land transactions in the valley, while fostering dialogue on balanced access under neutral oversight. All measures should link to NRC-verified indigenous status and remain subject to judicial review and multi-community scrutiny to ensure fairness.

These interventions should aim at restorative equity rather than zero-sum politics, helping reduce perceptions of marginalisation among indigenous communities while promoting overall stability.

And the best way is to conduct the NRC before proceeding with census or delimitation exercises, as repeatedly demanded. A credible NRC in Manipur, executed with these safeguards, offers an opportunity to achieve administrative clarity, facilitate orderly outcomes for illegal entrants, and rebuild trust. 

Paired with sincere efforts to secure borders and provide tangible land and livelihood support to indigenous landless families, it can contribute to long-term peace in this sensitive border state.

Success will ultimately depend on political consensus across communities, insulation from short-term electoral pressures, unwavering judicial oversight, and a commitment to humane, evidence-based implementation. 

Assam's NRC showed the heavy cost of inadequate preparation and fairness gaps. Manipur has the advantage of learning from those lessons on a more manageable scale.

By combining rigorous verification with inclusive indigenous security measures, the state can chart a pragmatic path toward demographic stability and equitable development for all its people.