Manipur: Protest rally seeks NRC updation with 1951 base year before census

A protest rally was held at Ningthoukhong in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on September 3, demanding updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with 1951 as the base year before the census is conducted in the state.

The rally was organised by Yelhoumi Loktak Project Area Apunba Ching-Tam under the aegis of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation. Members of various indigenous communities, including Meitei, Meitei Pangal and Naga tribes, participated in the demonstration.

The protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh through Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas at the Home Minister's residence at Ningthoukhong.

The protest comes despite the state government announcing that the Centre has deferred the census in Manipur. During the ongoing eighth session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, the House also reaffirmed its earlier resolution urging the Centre to update the NRC before the census.

However, protesters said there was still no clarity on the government’s position regarding the NRC, particularly on the base year and the timeline for its implementation.

“People of the state have been demanding updation of the NRC with 1951 as the base year before the census. It is unfortunate that the state government is not seriously addressing the demand,” one of the protesters said.

“The government has made several statements on the census and NRC, but there is no clarity. They have not mentioned the base year or when the NRC will be updated. Our demand is clear. We will continue our agitation until the NRC is updated with 1951 as the base year before the census,” he added.

In their memorandum, the protesters raised concerns over what they described as abnormal population growth, the emergence of unrecognised villages and depletion of resources.

They claimed that Manipur’s indigenous communities are already micro-minorities in the broader Indian context and alleged that unchecked settlement of illegal immigrants could eventually reduce indigenous communities to minorities in their ancestral homeland, affecting their culture, political representation and economic security.

The protesters said their demand for NRC updation was not communal in nature but stemmed from what they described as a need for the protection and preservation of indigenous communities.

The rally reflects continued pressure on the state government to provide clarity on the NRC issue even as discussions on the census and the Assembly’s renewed resolution remain ongoing.