Manipur: Census 2027 deferred amid demand to first build citizenship register

The Union government has postponed the 2027 census in Manipur due to escalating violence and the demand from various population groups to first establish the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before conducting the population count. This decision was made a day prior to the scheduled house-listing of the census, following a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The meeting included Manipur's governor, chief minister, home secretary, and other senior officials, who reviewed the current situation and agreed to defer the census in light of the population's sentiments. The census in Manipur has faced disruptions in the past, similar to events in Assam in 1981 and Jammu and Kashmir in 1991, but it is the first time the 2027 census has been delayed.

The first phase of the 2027 census (house listing) was planned from September 1 to 30, with self-enumeration for house listing set for August 17 to 31. However, protests and training disruptions by locals prevented the start of self-enumeration. The Manipur High Court also directed the cancellation of the house-listing exercise pending further notification from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, following petitions seeking the implementation of NRC before the census.

The protests, led by Naga and Meitei organizations, involve the Kuki-Zo communities who oppose the move, while Meitei and Naga communities argue that conducting a census without NRC could lead to demographic changes due to the influx of illegal immigrants from neighboring Myanmar. The Kuki-Zo Council, a prominent Kuki-Zo organization, opposes the demand for NRC implementation beforehand, citing the 1985 Assam Accord, which left around 1.9 million people unlisted and entangled in legal challenges.

The Campaign for Just Fair and Delimitation (JFD) has been spearheading the anti-census agitation, with its student wing locking down the Census Operations Directorate in Manipur and organizing torch rallies across the state. The Kuki-Zo Council president, Henlianthang Thanglet, emphasized their stance on the allegations against Kuki-Zo leaders and the deferral of the census, stating their intention to issue a statement on these issues.