The end of the shutdown has opened a new phase of agitation in Manipur, with the JFD preparing to target government offices from Thursday. The escalation comes as the state approaches the September 1 start of the house-listing phase of Census 2027.
BY PC Bureau
August 19 — The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) on Wednesday announced a boycott of Central and state government offices across Manipur from Thursday, hours after its 48-hour shutdown over the demand for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census ended.
The Meitei organisation said the government-office boycott would exempt essential services and educational institutions. It will also organise daytime mass sit-ins and torch rallies at night as part of its intensified agitation.
The decision came as normal activity remained disrupted in several valley districts on the final day of the shutdown, with markets closed, public transport severely restricted and government offices recording low attendance.
The JFD has been demanding that an NRC be completed in Manipur before the Census exercise begins. Its secretary, Longjam Ratankumar Singh, accused the government of failing to address the demand despite repeated representations.
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#MANIPUR#NO NRC NO CENSUS
“The flawed census miscounts Manipur’s native residents, threatening to permanently distort the state’s future.”
The primary argument made by civil society organizations is that carrying out a census without first establishing a baseline of official… pic.twitter.com/AoaFAPDNBP— Yawol Chanura (@YawolChanura) August 19, 2026
Meitei organisations have argued that an NRC is necessary to identify undocumented migrants who they allege entered Manipur after 1951, particularly from neighbouring countries. They contend that unchecked migration has altered the state’s demographic balance and threatens the interests of indigenous communities.
Kuki organisations, however, have opposed such assertions, accusing Meitei groups of portraying the wider Kuki population as undocumented immigrants.
The NRC demand has also received support from some tribal organisations. The North Indigenous Women’s Organisation staged a sit-in at Sekmai in Imphal West, calling for an NRC before the Census.
The shutdown had its strongest impact in Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Thoubal and Bishnupur districts. Markets remained shut and transport services were hit, while attendance in government offices was reportedly low.
Tensions were reported at Lamlong market in Imphal East and Kwakeithel in Imphal West, where protesters blocked Tiddim Road and confronted security personnel.
The state government has indicated that it intends to take the issue up with the Centre. Government spokesperson Sapam Ranjan said a team was preparing to travel to Delhi to urge the Union government to postpone the Census in Manipur until an NRC is completed.
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The Manipur Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution in August 2022 seeking an NRC before the Census, citing concerns over demographic changes. The resolution was reaffirmed in March 2024.
The demand has also been backed by former Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who said he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and received a “positive response” on the issue. Singh said the state government had submitted recommendations for an NRC in February 2023 and again in 2024.
The Census timetable has added urgency to the confrontation. According to a government notification issued on March 22, the first phase of Census 2027, involving house-listing, is scheduled to begin in Manipur on September 1 and continue for 30 days. The self-enumeration window runs from August 17 to 31.
A training programme for Census personnel was disrupted in Bishnupur on August 14, further highlighting the difficulties facing the exercise.
The JFD’s escalation now places the government under renewed pressure to address the NRC demand before the Census moves into its house-listing phase.
At the heart of the dispute are competing concerns over citizenship, migration, indigenous identity and demographic change. While both Meitei and some tribal organisations have called for an NRC, differences remain over how such a register should be implemented and what cut-off date should apply.
With the shutdown now over and the government-office boycott beginning Thursday, the agitation is set to enter a new phase, potentially deepening the standoff between protesters and the administration over the Census.
