Kuki-Zo Council rejects call for Manipur NRC before Census

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has opposed demands from some communities in Manipur for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be conducted before the Census, saying demographic concerns should first be addressed through verified population data.

In a statement issued on August 23, the KZC welcomed the decennial Census, which was delayed from 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and said an impartial exercise was necessary amid competing claims about population and demographics during the Manipur conflict.

The council also backed delimitation based on verified demographic data, saying it would help ensure fair representation.

On the NRC, however, the KZC said it was a national exercise and argued that neither a community nor a state government could independently decide to conduct a separate NRC in Manipur.

“There is no legitimate basis for any Manipur-based group or the State Government to dictate the timing or implementation of the national NRC exercise,” the council said.

The KZC said calls for an NRC before the Census were largely based on allegations and speculation about the Kuki-Zo community. It argued that such claims should instead be assessed against official demographic data generated through the Census.

“Demanding an NRC before the completion and publication of Census 2027 results is premature and unjustified,” it said.

The council also cited the experience of Assam, where the NRC exercise conducted under the Assam Accord of 1985 left around 19 lakh people out of the final list. It noted that the process remains tied up in legal challenges and pending appeals before Foreigners Tribunals.

The KZC said those seeking a similar exercise in Manipur should consider the “complexity, implications, and consequences” of such a process.

It called on all stakeholders to allow the Census to proceed without obstruction and urged them to respect the Central government's authority over the NRC.

The council also appealed against using demographic issues for “communal propaganda or victimisation”.