‘No NRC, No Census’: Stone-pelting, tear gas mark Manipur protest
Protesters clash with police after being stopped from marching to district headquarters; tear gas fired, several agitators injured
A torchlight vigil demanding an update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census turned violent in Manipur’s Kakching district, with protesters allegedly pelting police with stones and security personnel responding with tear gas, officials said on Monday.
Hundreds of villagers from Wabagai, Hiyanglam and surrounding areas participated in a nearly 3-km-long protest march on Sunday night, raising slogans of “No NRC, No Census” and opposing the Census exercise until internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the ethnic conflict are resettled.
The protesters were demanding that the NRC be updated before the Census is conducted in the northeastern state. They also opposed proceeding with the exercise while thousands of people displaced by the violence remain unable to return to their homes.
Protesters stopped near Keirak Dam
The marchers were heading towards the Kakching district headquarters when police stopped them near the Keirak Dam area, officials said.
The security personnel asked the protesters to return, following which tension escalated between the two sides.
Some protesters allegedly began pelting the police with stones, prompting law enforcement personnel to fire several tear gas shells in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
A few protesters sustained minor injuries during the confrontation, officials said. Details of any injuries among police personnel were not immediately available.
The incident occurred during a period of heightened sensitivity in Manipur, where the Census and questions surrounding citizenship and documentation have become closely linked to wider concerns over migration, demography and the prolonged displacement caused by the ethnic conflict.
The protesters' demand for an NRC update before the Census is also being raised against the backdrop of the large-scale displacement caused by the violence that began in May 2023.
Ethnic conflict continues to shape demands
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since ethnic violence broke out between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and Kukis living in the adjoining hills in May 2023.
Large numbers of internally displaced people have remained in relief camps and temporary shelters since the conflict, while efforts to facilitate their return and rehabilitation have continued.
The protesters have argued that the Census should not proceed before the displaced population is resettled.
Sunday night's march began with hundreds of villagers from Wabagai, Hiyanglam and nearby areas joining the torchlight vigil. The protesters travelled around 3 km towards the Kakching district headquarters before being stopped by police.
The confrontation subsequently brought the march to a halt.
The authorities have not indicated whether the incident will have any impact on preparations for the Census or other administrative exercises in the state.
The latest protest reflects the continuing political and social tensions in Manipur, where demands relating to citizenship, demographic changes, displacement and rehabilitation remain contentious nearly three years after the outbreak of ethnic violence.