Why has the Manipur Census operation been deferred?
What led to the Census deferment? What is the argument of the pro-NRC groups? How is the NRC demand linked to Manipur’s ethnic conflict?
On August 31, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Manipur's Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, declaring that the State could not tolerate additional strife while Kuki-Meitei and Kuki-Naga conflicts persisted. The Census of Manipur, originally set to commence on September 1, was subsequently postponed.
Community-based and civil society organisations (CSOs) had already begun opposing the Census, pressing for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be prepared first. The Kuki community, represented by the Kuki-Zo Council, backed the Census operation, arguing it would dispel misconceptions about Kuki population growth. However, other communities such as Meiteis, Nagas, and Kukis intensified their protests against the Census, fearing it would unfairly exclude them if 1951 was used as the base year.
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