Manipur shuts down as JFD strike enters second day over NRC demand

Shops and business establishments remained closed across Imphal on August 18 as a 48-hour statewide general strike demanding an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) entered its second day.

The shutdown, called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), began at midnight on August 17 and is scheduled to continue until midnight on August 19. The organisation is demanding that the NRC be updated in Manipur before the Census is conducted.

Protests were also reported from several parts of the state. In Hiyanglam-Wabagai, members of the Apunba Nupi Lup and local youth staged demonstrations at Ema Market and Lamkhai Keithel in support of the strike.

JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba said the agitation was intended to press the government to address concerns over demographic changes and illegal migration, and to take up the NRC before the Census.

The strike comes amid growing opposition from sections of the population to conducting the Census without first resolving the NRC issue.

The Manipur government, meanwhile, said it shared several of the concerns behind the demand but appealed to organisations and the public to pursue them through peaceful and democratic means.

State government spokesperson and MLA Sapan Ranjan, speaking at a press conference at the DIPR conference hall in Imphal on Tuesday, said the government was also concerned about demographic changes and illegal migration.

“The government stands with the people of Manipur and understands their concerns, particularly regarding the demand that the NRC should be conducted before the Census,” he said.

Ranjan said the state had consistently raised the issue with the Centre. The Manipur Legislative Assembly passed a resolution in August 2022 seeking implementation of the NRC in the state, following which the government continued discussions with the Union government.

He said the state had written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the matter, including a letter from the Commissioner of the Government of Manipur to the Union Home Secretary on January 16, 2023, and another communication from Joint Secretary Mayengbam Veto on June 12, 2024.

“We are on the same page as the people of Manipur on this issue. We firmly believe that the NRC should be taken up before the Census,” Ranjan said.

The MLA said the government would continue to pursue the demand with the Centre and indicated that a delegation of MLAs could travel to New Delhi to take up the matter with the Union government.

He also called for legislators from different political parties to come together and present a united position on the NRC demand.

While the government has backed the call for the NRC to precede the Census, it has urged protesters to maintain peace and warned of the economic impact of prolonged shutdowns on daily-wage earners and other vulnerable groups.

The JFD strike will continue across Manipur until midnight on August 19.