‘Bandh will not serve any purpose’: Manipur CM asks NRC protesters to shun shutdowns

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has backed the demand for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state while urging groups leading the agitation to avoid bandhs and blockades, as protests over conducting the Census before an NRC update continue to intensify.

The appeal comes days after the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) threatened to call a 24-hour bandh from midnight on August 31 if the Centre does not defer the Census and initiate the NRC update. The group has also linked its next phase of agitation to the Manipur Assembly session beginning on September 2.

Speaking to the Directorate of Information and Public Relations before leaving for New Delhi on Sunday, Khemchand said the state and Central governments were committed to addressing the concerns of the people and that shutdowns would instead add to their difficulties.

The Chief Minister said the recent campaign by 14 civil society organisations and a delegation of MLAs in New Delhi had received a positive response from the Centre. The groups had been seeking an NRC update before the Census.

The state government has previously made clear that it supports the NRC demand. Earlier this month, Khemchand said the government was pursuing the matter with the Centre, while state Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said Manipur was prepared to conduct the exercise within the constitutional and legal framework.

The NRC demand has become a major flashpoint in Manipur ahead of Census 2027. The JFD and several civil society groups want the Census deferred until the NRC is updated, with some organisations demanding 1951 as the base year. Recent protests have included road blockades, rallies and disruptions to Census-related training in parts of the state.

Khemchand said bandhs particularly hurt daily wage earners and women vegetable vendors who depend on their daily sales for their families' income. Students also suffer when classes and the academic calendar are disrupted, he said.

He urged groups to use other democratic forms of protest to press their demands and warned that those who break the law or attempt to create disorder would face stringent action.

The Chief Minister is travelling to New Delhi to meet senior Central leaders and discuss issues concerning Manipur.

Meanwhile, the government has highlighted the restoration of the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati bus service after more than three years. Khemchand said the service would reduce the burden on people who have been forced to depend on expensive air travel between Imphal and Guwahati.