Thousands of people participated in a mass rally in Manipur’s capital on Monday, demanding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be updated before the next census exercise is conducted in the state. The rally was jointly organised by 14 civil society organisations under the banner of 14 CSOs Kangleipak. The march began at Tiddim Ground in Imphal West and concluded at THAU Ground, where a public meeting was held. A large number of students, youth, internally displaced persons, artists and members of indigenous communities joined the demonstration. Participants carried placards bearing slogans such as “Only updation of NRC can save Manipur”, “No NRC, No Census”, “Do not neglect Manipur State” and “Until NRC 1951 update, don’t conduct census”.
Addressing the gathering, 14 CSOs Kangleipak convenor Shanta Nahakpam alleged that the Centre had not acted on repeated demands for updating the NRC in Manipur despite raising concerns over illegal immigration in other parts of the country during elections. Referring to a recent notification issued by the Government of India, Nahakpam said a high-powered committee had been formed to study demographic changes in various states and submit its report to the Union Home Ministry within one year. He argued that Manipur required special attention because of its international border, existing peace agreements with various groups and concerns over demographic changes.
Nahakpam said an updated NRC was necessary to ensure the credibility of any future delimitation exercise. According to him, conducting delimitation without addressing alleged discrepancies in population records could affect the political representation and constitutional rights of indigenous communities in the state. He also urged the Centre to include a government agency from Manipur in the newly constituted committee studying demographic changes. Local participation, he said, would help ensure that the state’s concerns are properly assessed and reflected in the committee’s findings.
