Five injured as protesters demand census be postponed until illegal immigrants are identified
A protest against the ongoing census process in Manipur turned tense on Wednesday at the Ima Market in Imphal after police fired tear gas shells to disperse demonstrators. At least five people were reportedly injured during the incident.
The protest was organised by the Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) group, which had gathered supporters from different parts of the state to oppose the census exercise. Demonstrators raised slogans and demanded that the census be postponed until illegal immigrants in the state are properly identified.
Naorem Wangamba, Assistant Secretary (Organisation) of JFD, said the group is calling for a “Just and Fair Census” along with a transparent delimitation process. According to him, the organisation wants the year 1951 to be used as the base cut-off to identify illegal immigrants in the state.
Wangamba warned that if the census is conducted without first separating illegal immigrants from genuine Indian citizens, undocumented residents might be inadvertently included in official records. He said such a situation could effectively legalise illegal immigrants and create serious constitutional and administrative concerns.
Protesters also alleged that the current conflict situation in Manipur makes it difficult to conduct a fair census. They demanded that the exercise be deferred until normalcy returns and a proper verification process is carried out.
According to JFD leaders, the organisation had earlier submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister on December 15, 2025, requesting the Centre to postpone the census in Manipur until illegal immigrants are identified and the ongoing unrest in the state is resolved.
Security forces were deployed in the area to control the situation, and authorities said the situation later came under control.
