An umbrella of 14 Meitei civil society organisations (CSOs) in Manipur has urged the Central government to conduct a National Register of Citizens (NRC) update prior to the 2027 census, warning that they will not allow census operations in the state if their demand is ignored.
Press Conference and Meeting with Officials
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, the CSOs stated that they recently met Registrar General of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan and Home Ministry officials. They claimed that the Centre assured them the issue would be discussed with the Manipur government.
Convenor of the CSOs, Shanta Nahakpam, told reporters: “If our demand of conducting NRC is not met then we will not allow the census to be held in Manipur.”
Rationale for NRC Update
The CSOs argued that updating the NRC based on 1951 data is essential to identify illegal immigrants who have settled in Manipur from neighbouring Myanmar. They believe this step is crucial to resolving the ethnic strife in the state. During their meeting with Narayan, they informed him that the ethnic conflict can only be resolved by distinguishing original Indian citizens from illegal residents.
The organisations also demanded that a member of the Manipur Population Commission be nominated to the High Level Committee of Demographic Changes formed by the Centre.
Previous Meeting with Governor
Last week, the CSOs met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and reiterated their demand for NRC updating. In a memorandum submitted to Bhalla, the 14 organisations stated that an NRC is necessary to identify “illegal migrants” from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Mizoram, who they claim pose a threat to the state’s original inhabitants.
They listed the Meiteis, Tangkhuls (a Naga tribe), Kabuis, Liangmeis, Inpuis, Zemes, Ronmeis, Mao, Maram, and Poumai Naga communities as the original inhabitants of Manipur.
