An Imphal Valley group, seeking an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) ahead of the 2027 Census in ethnic violence-hit Manipur, went ahead with a shutdown, demanding official confirmation of the Union government’s announcement on Monday deferring the population enumeration exercise.
It added that the move was announced considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur. The Census was deferred a day before the house-listing exercise was scheduled to begin in the state, where 300 have died in ethnic violence since May 2023.
The chief minister’s office said the decision came after Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting in New Delhi to “assess the current situation” in Manipur.
The Union government’s move came amid mounting violence and demands to update the NRC before conducting the Census. The 24-hour shutdown paralysed Valley districts of Manipur since early Tuesday.
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) said the shutdown will continue as the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has yet to issue a formal order deferring the Census in Manipur. JFD convener Jeetendra Ningomba said the shutdown will continue unless the postponement is notified in the government gazette. Meitei and Naga communities say that a Census without NRC could result in “demographic changes” due to the entry of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar. The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a Kuki-Zo apex body, has said NRC before the Census is “premature and unjustified”.
