Imphal, Sep 19 (IANS) Influential ‘Meira Paibis’ (women torchbearers) and representatives of around 20 villages and students on Saturday joined protests in Manipur demanding updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census, with 1951 fixed as the base year.

The protests were organised by the North Imphal Meira and Clubs Co-ordinating Committee (NIMAC) at Khonghampat Awang Leikai and by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) Students’ Wing at Keishamthong in Imphal West.

Addressing a public meeting at Khonghampat, JFD Convenor Jeetendra Ningombam said the organisation would intensify its agitation if the state government failed to issue a formal order by the end of September confirming that 1951 would be used as the base year for NRC updation. He said the JFD’s three key demands were that the NRC be updated before the Census, internally displaced persons (IDPs) be resettled in their respective homes before the Census, and 1951 be adopted as the base year for NRC updation.

The JFD leader also urged the state government to make public any assurance or commitment received from the Centre regarding the NRC and Census. Ningombam said the government should communicate its decision through a formal order instead of relying on verbal assurances. He also claimed that failure to update the NRC could have implications for the state’s future demographic composition and urged people to remain united on issues concerning the indigenous population.

The protesters carried placards with messages including “Truth, Transparency, Justice”, “Our Land, Our People, Our Future” and “Our Land, Our Right, Our Responsibility”. They also raised slogans against the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement and demanded that innocent villagers not be arrested. Separately, students of Ramlal Paul Higher Secondary School joined the JFD-led agitation at Keishamthong, demanding that the NRC be updated before the Census with 1951 as the base year. Student Mangalsana Sapam said people in Manipur had been demanding NRC updation before the Census for a long time and expressed solidarity with the JFD movement. JFD Students’ Wing volunteer Md. Shahaj Khan, who organised the school protest, said the state government had stated during the monsoon that the Census would be deferred and the NRC updated using 1951 as the base year.

He, however, said no formal document had been issued to substantiate the reported assurance and urged the government to begin the NRC updation process without further delay.

The CJFD and various other CSOs have been holding massive agitations in the Imphal Valley region since August 17, demanding the updation of the NRC before the Census-2027 exercise is undertaken.

A day before its pre-scheduled start, the Central government on August 31 announced to defer the Census-2027 exercise in Manipur amid continuing protests and demands by various CSOs for the updation of the NRC before the conduct of the Census-2027 in the state.

The recently held session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly reaffirmed its earlier resolution to update the NRC before the Census-2027, and Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has conveyed the same to the Central government.

Meanwhile, Manipur Assembly’s latest move on September 2 came amid massive agitations by various CSOs, mainly in the five districts of the Imphal Valley region — Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching — demanding the updation of the NRC before the conduct of Census-2027.

–IANS

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