Assam Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass inaugurates construction of science building at Bhattadev University

At least six people were injured after a protest demanding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before conducting the census turned violent in Imphal on Wednesday, March 11.

 

The protest was led mainly by women vendors of Ima Keithel, along with members of several civil society organisations, who gathered at the market and raised slogans such as “No NRC, No Census” and “Resolve Present Crisis First, Census After.”

 

Demonstrators attempted to march towards the Manipur Legislative Assembly, where the 7th Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly was underway. To prevent them from moving forward, security forces had set up barricades and deployed large numbers of personnel around the market area.

 

Tension escalated when protesters tried to break through the barricades. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the crowd, resulting in injuries to at least six protesters.

 

The demonstrators argued that conducting the census in Manipur without first identifying illegal immigrants through the NRC or a similar mechanism would undermine what they described as a “just and fair census.”

 

Inside the Assembly, the issue was also raised by opposition members, who urged the government to delay the census until peace is restored and displaced persons are resettled.

 

Responding to the concerns, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said the census process would take time as preparatory procedures are still underway. He informed the House that the Election Commission of India has communicated with the state government regarding a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise for listing housing units before the census is conducted by the Registrar General of India.

 

The protest has added to the tense atmosphere in the state, which has been grappling with instability since the outbreak of ethnic violence in 2023.