Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for responding to the concerns raised by civil society groups and BJP MLAs campaigning for an NRC.
BY PC Bureau
AUGUST 31: The Centre on Monday deferred the Census exercise in Manipur following a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, amid weeks of protests and demands from several groups that an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) be completed before the population count.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi, was attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials.
Officials said the meeting reviewed the situation in Manipur and considered demands that the Census be postponed until the NRC issue is addressed. The decision to defer the exercise was taken in view of the “feelings and aspirations” of the people of the state.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for “listening to the voices of the people”. He also credited 14 civil society organisations and a delegation of BJP MLAs for taking up the NRC demand with the Centre.
Singh, however, appealed to civil society groups to avoid bandhs and general strikes, saying such actions would cause hardship to ordinary people. He urged them to pursue their demands through dialogue and cooperate with the government.
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The first phase of Census 2027, covering house listing and housing operations, was scheduled to begin in Manipur on September 1 and continue through September 30. Training of enumerators had already been disrupted amid protests.
Meitei and Naga groups have demanded that an NRC exercise, preferably using 1951 as the base year, precede the Census. They have cited concerns over alleged illegal immigration, demographic changes and the large-scale displacement caused by the ethnic conflict that began in May 2023.
The Kuki-Zo Council has opposed the demand to delay the Census, arguing that an impartial population count is necessary to establish verified demographic facts.
The Centre has not announced a fresh date for conducting the Census in Manipur.
The decision also comes as the Manipur High Court is examining petitions concerning the Census and the demand for an NRC. A Division Bench heard the matter on Monday, with the next hearing scheduled for October 12, according to Shanta Nahakpam, convenor of 14 civil society organisations.
