Manipur Delegation heads to Delhi as NRC protests force school closures
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Manipur Delegation heads to Delhi as NRC protests force school closures")
A street in Manipur capital Imphal
Kuki organisations have pushed back, accusing Meiteis of using the NRC demand to brand their entire community as illegal immigrants.
A 10-member delegation representing various communities and civil society organisations from Manipur left for New Delhi on Thursday to seek the Centre's intervention on the Census and National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue, even as the state government ordered educational institutions to shut down amid escalating agitation.
The delegation, which includes SM Jalal (president, AMMOCOC), Gaikhiam Thaimei (vice-president, RNYOM), Serto Kom (president, Kom Union Manipur) and Dr K Heera Kabui (president, Kabui Union), said it would push for dialogue rather than confrontation with the Centre. Members plan to meet Union ministers, BJP leaders and Intelligence Bureau officials, and are seeking an audience with Home Minister Amit Shah. "We want a discussion, not a confrontation, and seek an understanding on these issues while keeping the interests of the people of Manipur in mind," Kom said, stressing that citizen identification through the NRC must precede the state's pending delimitation exercise.
The visit follows a separate trip to Delhi by a team of MLAs and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, as pressure builds on the Centre to address the issue.
Shutdown Paralyses Valley Districts
The Manipur government ordered all schools, colleges and universities across the state closed from August 20 to 23, citing law and order concerns as a 48-hour general strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) wound down. Authorities also cancelled appointments of Census enumerators, supervisors and field trainers in Lilong, Imphal West.
The JFD, a Meitei organisation, wants the Census conducted only after an NRC is implemented, arguing this is needed to identify undocumented migrants who arrived after 1951. Kuki organisations have pushed back, accusing Meiteis of using the NRC demand to brand their entire community as illegal immigrants. JFD secretary Longjam Ratankumar Singh said the protest would escalate into a boycott of government institutions from Thursday, with sit-ins and torch rallies planned.
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Markets, schools and transport were disrupted across five valley districts—Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Thoubal and Bishnupur—with clashes reported between protesters and security forces in Imphal East and Imphal West. Separately, the North Indigenous Women's Organisation staged its own sit-in at Sekmai demanding NRC implementation.
State spokesperson Sapam Ranjan said Manipur would press the Centre to postpone the Census until the NRC process is complete, noting the assembly had passed resolutions to this effect in 2022 and 2024. Former CM N. Biren Singh said he received a "positive response" from Shah on the matter during a recent meeting.
Census 2027's house-listing phase is officially scheduled to begin in Manipur on September 1, with self-enumeration available from August 17-31.
