Manipur students demand NRC before census, protest outside census directorate

Students demanding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur before the Census 2027 exercise staged a demonstration outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal on Sunday, prompting police to fire tear gas shells to disperse them, officials said.

The protest, led by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) Students’ Wing, saw demonstrators gather outside the directorate at Porompat in Imphal East. Raising slogans and carrying placards, the students demanded that no census-related activity be undertaken in the state until the NRC is implemented to identify alleged illegal immigrants.

The protesters were prevented by security personnel from entering the office premises. They subsequently attempted to lock the main gate, following which police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. One protester sustained minor injuries during the action, police said.

Torch rallies sweep Imphal

The agitation spread across Imphal later in the evening, with hundreds of protesters in Imphal East and Imphal West districts taking part in a torch rally.

A large number of women participated in the march, moving through different localities while holding banners and raising slogans demanding that the NRC precede any census exercise in the state.

At Keisampat Junction in Imphal West, located less than 100 metres from the Lok Bhavan and the state BJP office, security forces stopped the demonstrators from proceeding further.

Protesters also formed human chains along roadsides at Naoremthong in Imphal West and Khurai Lamlong in Imphal East as the demonstrations continued.

One protester told reporters that conducting the census before the NRC could allow illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries to become bona fide Indian citizens, potentially threatening the rights of indigenous communities.

“If the census is conducted before NRC, all illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries will become bona fide citizens of India,” the demonstrator said, warning that indigenous people could eventually become a minority.

Protest comes ahead of Census 2027

The demonstrations came a day before the house-listing phase of Census 2027 is scheduled to begin with self-enumeration on 17 August. The main house-listing exercise is slated to take place from 1 to 30 September.

The students had also disrupted an enumerators’ and supervisors’ training programme at Moirang College in Bishnupur district on Friday. Carrying placards bearing the slogan “No NRC, No Census”, the protesters forced trainees to leave the premises before the training could begin, officials said.

JFD Students’ Wing convenor Naorem Wangamba said the group had repeatedly urged the government to conduct an NRC exercise to identify illegal immigrants before proceeding with the census.

“We have been demanding NRC to identify illegal immigrants. However, the government is seeking to conduct the census without carrying out NRC. NRC is important to save future generations,” Wangamba said.

The JFD has maintained that an NRC exercise must precede the census in Manipur, arguing that it is necessary to identify illegal immigrants and safeguard the interests of the state’s indigenous population.

With PTI inputs