Imphal agitation against census without illegal immigrant identification

A protest demanding the identification of illegal immigrants and implementation of an NRC-like mechanism before conducting the national census was staged in Imphal on Wednesday by the Campaign for Just & Fair Delimitation (JFD).

Protesters, including vendors from the iconic Khwairamband Ima Market, gathered in large numbers and attempted to march towards the Manipur Legislative Assembly while the Assembly session was underway. However, a heavy deployment of security forces prevented the demonstrators from proceeding further.

The agitators condemned the government’s move to initiate the census exercise, alleging that it ignored long-standing demands for updating the National Register of Citizens and identifying illegal immigrants in Manipur.

Protesters said they have repeatedly urged the authorities not to conduct the census until the identification of illegal immigrants allegedly blending with indigenous communities is completed and an NRC-like system is implemented in the state.

One protester said that the people had elected their representatives with the expectation that they would safeguard the interests of indigenous communities. “Despite repeated appeals, the process for the census has started, which is very unfortunate,” he said.

The demonstrators also expressed concern over what they described as growing challenges posed by illegal immigration, urging the government to take the issue seriously to maintain the trust of indigenous communities.

The protesters warned that the agitation could intensify if the government continues to move ahead with the census without addressing their demands.