Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and pressed for the NRC to be completed before the census, while also seeking action against economic blockades and counter-blockades.
BY PC Bureau
August 18, 2026: The demand for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) before any census or delimitation exercise has triggered a fresh wave of protests across Imphal, with students, civil society groups and women vendors joining demonstrations under the slogan “No NRC, No Census”, even as former Chief Minister N Biren Singh took the issue to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
The protests have included torch rallies, student demonstrations, strikes and the closure of the iconic Khwairamband Ima Market by women vendors. Security forces have deployed barricades and used tear gas at some locations as protesters attempted to enter government premises, with reports of minor injuries.
The escalating agitation came as Singh, who returned to Imphal after a two-day visit to the national capital, said he had urged Shah to ensure that the NRC is completed before the census. He also sought the Centre’s intervention to end economic blockades and counter-blockades that have disrupted the movement of essential commodities and pushed up prices.
Singh said Shah gave him a patient hearing and assured him that the problems arising from the blockades would be addressed.
‘No NRC, No Census’ campaign gathers momentum
The protests have been driven by a core demand that upcoming census operations be deferred until an NRC mechanism based on 1951 is established.
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), along with student organisations including the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), has emerged among the groups mobilising support for the demand.
Protesters argue that a citizenship register is necessary to identify what they describe as illegal immigrants and establish a demographic baseline before census and delimitation exercises are undertaken.
The campaign has spread beyond student groups.
Women vendors at the Khwairamband Ima Market, one of Imphal’s most prominent commercial centres, shut their establishments in support of the demand. Student groups have also organised strikes and attempted to lock down or enter the Directorate of Census Operations.
The protests have included a torch rally in Imphal East and Imphal West, drawing hundreds of participants.
Security forces use tear gas
Tensions rose when protesters attempted to enter government facilities and administrative areas.
Security personnel erected barricades to prevent demonstrators from entering restricted premises and used tear gas to disperse crowds in some locations. A few protesters were reported to have suffered minor injuries during the confrontations.
The police action has added another layer to an already sensitive debate over the timing and methodology of the census in a state still grappling with the consequences of the ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023.
Biren Singh takes demand to Amit Shah
Against this backdrop, Singh met Shah in New Delhi and raised both the NRC demand and the disruption caused by economic blockades and counter-blockades.
“I went to Delhi to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and met him yesterday after getting an appointment,” Singh said.
He said he told the Union Home Minister that the blockades had sharply increased the prices of essential commodities and affected supplies.
“Shah assured me of addressing the issues soon,” Singh said.
Singh also reiterated that people were not opposed to the census itself.
“People are not against the conduct of census but are demanding NRC first and then conduct of census,” he said.
1951 base year at centre of demand
The protesters’ demand for a 1951 base year is significant because it seeks to establish an older citizenship baseline against which subsequent migration and population changes could be assessed.
The campaigners argue that conducting the census first could make it more difficult to address questions surrounding citizenship and migration before population figures are used for future administrative or delimitation exercises.
The demand has consequently been linked not only to citizenship verification but also to concerns over Manipur’s demographic composition and territorial integrity.
NRC proposal dates back to 2023
Singh said his government had initiated the process for an NRC in February 2023, shortly before ethnic violence broke out across Manipur in May.
According to him, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registrar General had subsequently informed the state government that its request was under consideration.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since the conflict erupted between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
Singh said he reminded Shah of the earlier proposal and conveyed the demand for the NRC to precede the census.
Demographic concerns behind agitation
Supporters of the NRC campaign say they fear that undocumented migration has altered Manipur’s demographic balance.
Singh echoed those concerns in his conversation with Shah, pointing to government records that, according to him, identify 926 unrecognised villages in the state.
He said there was also a demand for their formal recognition.
The allegations concerning illegal immigration remain politically contested, however, and the NRC demand has become intertwined with the wider ethnic, territorial and demographic tensions that have shaped Manipur’s politics since 2023.
Economic blockade issue
Singh also raised the issue of blockades and counter-blockades, saying they had affected the supply of essential commodities and caused prices to rise.
The issue has particular significance in Manipur because the state depends heavily on road corridors for the supply of fuel, food and other necessities.
Singh said Shah assured him that the Centre would address the problem.
READ: AK-47 Firing in Siwan: Video Evidence Punctures Bihar’s ‘Trapped Constable’ Defence
Protest movement widens
The latest mobilisation indicates that the NRC-before-census demand is no longer confined to political representations.
Students, civil society groups and women vendors have now joined the campaign, with protests taking different forms — from market closures and strikes to torch rallies and attempts to occupy or shut government offices.
The slogan “No NRC, No Census” has become the rallying cry of the movement.
For the Centre and the Manipur government, the immediate challenge is to prevent the issue from triggering another cycle of confrontation while addressing demands over citizenship, migration, demographic change and delimitation.
Singh said he remained hopeful after his meeting with Shah.
“Shah gave a patient hearing to our concerns. I genuinely believe and feel that there will be a positive response to the demands raised by the people,” he said.
But with protests spreading across Imphal and security forces already being deployed to contain demonstrations, the NRC-before-census demand has emerged as a fresh flashpoint in a state still struggling to recover from the violence that began more than three years ago.
