BY PC BUREAU
August 23, 2026: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has rejected demands from sections of Manipur for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be conducted before the upcoming Census, arguing that such a move would be premature, politically contentious and unsupported by credible demographic evidence.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the KZC welcomed the Centre’s decision to proceed with the long-delayed decennial Census and said the exercise should be allowed to take place without interference.
The Council said an impartial and comprehensive Census was particularly important in Manipur, where competing claims about population growth, migration and demographic change have become deeply entangled with the state’s prolonged ethnic conflict.
It argued that verified Census data could help establish the actual demographic position of different communities and provide an evidence-based basis for addressing competing claims.
KZC backs Census and delimitation
The Council said it supported the Census as a means of generating reliable demographic data and countering what it described as “falsehoods and propaganda” surrounding the population of various communities in Manipur.
It also backed delimitation based on verified demographic figures, saying political representation should reflect accurate population data rather than competing or unverified claims.
The KZC’s position comes amid continuing political and community-level debates over population, electoral representation and the presence of alleged undocumented migrants in Manipur.
The Council, however, maintained that such questions should be addressed through established constitutional and legal mechanisms rather than through allegations made without supporting evidence.
‘NRC is a Central government matter’
On the demand for an NRC in Manipur, the KZC said the exercise falls within the domain of the Central Government and cannot be initiated unilaterally by a community or the state government.
“There is no legitimate basis for any Manipur-based group or the State Government to dictate the timing or implementation of the national NRC exercise,” the Council said.
The organisation argued that the demand for an NRC before the Census appears to be based largely on allegations and speculation concerning the Kuki-Zo community.
According to the Council, demographic allegations should first be tested against credible data generated through the Census rather than being used to justify a citizenship-verification exercise in advance.
It said that seeking an NRC before the results of Census 2027 are available was therefore “premature and unjustified.”
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Assam NRC cited as cautionary example
The KZC also invoked the experience of Assam, where an NRC exercise was undertaken following the Assam Accord of 1985.
The final Assam NRC, published in 2019, excluded nearly 19 lakh applicants, triggering widespread controversy and leaving numerous cases subject to legal proceedings and appeals.
The KZC said those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur should consider the administrative, legal and humanitarian complexities that emerged in Assam.
Rather than treating an NRC as a quick solution to questions surrounding citizenship and migration, the Council argued that its consequences need to be examined carefully.
READ: KZC_PressRelease_23August2026
Census first, NRC later
At the heart of the Council’s argument is a sequencing issue: Census first, any citizenship exercise later.
The KZC said the immediate priority should be to complete the Census and establish an authoritative demographic baseline.
Only after credible data is available, it argued, should claims concerning population changes, migration or citizenship be assessed through the appropriate constitutional and legal mechanisms.
The Council warned against turning demographic questions into instruments of communal mobilisation during a period when relations between Manipur’s communities remain highly sensitive.
Appeal against ‘communal propaganda’
The Council appealed to all stakeholders to allow the Census to proceed without obstruction and to respect the Central Government’s authority over matters relating to the NRC.
It also urged political parties and community organisations to refrain from using demographic issues to target or stigmatise particular communities.
The statement comes against the backdrop of the wider ethnic conflict in Manipur, where questions surrounding migration, land, identity, political representation and demographic change have repeatedly featured in competing narratives.
The KZC said such issues should be addressed through verifiable evidence and established institutions rather than through what it described as “communal propaganda or victimisation.”
The statement was issued by Ginza Vualzong, Secretary, Information & Publicity, Kuki-Zo Council.
The Council’s position sets up another potential point of contention in Manipur’s continuing debate over the Census, delimitation and citizenship verification, with competing communities likely to continue pressing their respective positions before the exercise gets fully under way.
