Protests demanding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the upcoming Census have intensified across Manipur, with a 48-hour general strike bringing normal life to a standstill. The strike, called by the Just and Fair for Delimitation (JFD), has severely disrupted normal life across the state, with business establishments, markets, and offices remaining closed, and public and private vehicles staying off the roads.
Two people, including a woman police officer and a woman protester, were injured on Tuesday as protesters attempted to enter the Imphal East DC office complex. Police personnel used smoke/riot grenades to disperse the crowd, during which the woman protester sustained an injury to her right leg and was rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Porompat for treatment. The woman police officer was also injured during the confrontation and was taken for medical treatment.
The JFD has been demanding that the NRC exercise be carried out before the Census, arguing that an updated citizens’ register is essential for ensuring a fair and credible delimitation exercise in the state. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has said the state government supports the demand for implementation of the NRC but does not favour the practice of calling bandhs, which adversely affect school and college students as well as daily wage earners in the state.
The Manipur government has reiterated that the issue of updating the NRC should be taken up with the Centre, citing concerns over demographic changes, demographic imbalance, and illegal migration. A delegation of MLAs is expected to visit New Delhi to urge the central government to address the issue of NRC updation in Manipur.
The ‘No NRC, No Census’ movement has gained momentum with fresh protests across the valley districts, with civil society organizations extending unconditional support to the strike call. Protesters have warned that if the government fails to respond positively, the agitation will escalate into more intense forms of protest.
Women vendors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel have also joined the agitation, suspending business and staging a sit-in protest. They have clarified that they are not opposed to the Census itself but insist that NRC updation must precede any headcount to address concerns over demographic shifts, illegal immigration, and the status of internally displaced persons.
