A delegation of Manipur civil society organisations (CSOs) has urged the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to convene tripartite talks involving the Union government, the Manipur government, and representatives of different communities before proceeding with the Census, arguing that citizenship-related concerns must be addressed first to ensure the exercise is accepted across the State.
“In the current situation, only the Centre can bring different communities together. Delegation members claimed that demographic changes recorded in Census data over several decades have raised questions about population growth and the proliferation of villages in some areas. Delegation members stressed that their demand was not directed against any particular community. “This is not about targeting any tribe or community.
Leaders of a 14-member CSO platform, who have met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, BJP president Nitin Nabin, and MHA officials in Delhi over the past few days, said they want the government to postpone Census-related activities and initiate a dialogue process on the implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-type mechanism in Manipur. The delegation maintained that any citizenship verification exercise should use 1951 as the base year, arguing that the first post-Independence Census in Manipur was built on records prepared before the State’s merger with the Indian Union in 1949. Referring to Census figures from 1961 to 2011, they alleged that while some districts recorded a decline in the number of villages, others witnessed sharp increase.
they said they had been assured that their concerns were being considered While they declined to disclose details of those discussions. “We have requested the Government of India to organise a table where all stakeholders can sit together and discuss the issue,” delegation member Shanta Nahakpam said on Tuesday. Pre-merger electoral rolls, village records, and population data provide the most reliable basis for identifying “original Indian citizens” in the State, according to them. Such changes warrant scrutiny, they said. Rather, they said, any future verification process should allow every resident an opportunity to establish citizenship through documentary evidence. The process should give every individual the chance to prove citizenship through records and due process,” said Ahao Kom, another member.
Census faces opposition
Several district-level Census training programmes for enumerators have already faced opposition from local organisations who even locked up their offices and registered protests, according to the delegation. This reflects widespread apprehension among sections of the population about conducting the exercise before resolving citizenship-related issues, they said.
