Imphal: A People's Convention at Manipur University has issued a formal warning to the state and central governments, declaring that local residents may boycott upcoming Census operations. Organized by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation, the gathering demanded that officials update the National Register of Citizens and remove illegal immigrants before any demographic data collection occurs.
Participants, including civil society members and academics, expressed concerns that the state remains too unstable to facilitate an accurate count. With thousands of internally displaced persons still living in relief camps following the ethnic violence that began in May 2023, attendees argued that current conditions would lead to distorted and unreliable data. They cautioned that an inaccurate Census could negatively impact long-term political representation and land rights for indigenous communities.
The convention specifically opposed the Housing Census scheduled for August 2026 and the Population Enumeration set for February 2027. Representatives stated that proceeding without addressing the demographic imbalance caused by unchecked migration poses a direct threat to the integrity of the state. Organizers plan to launch a broad awareness campaign to mobilize public support for their demands, urging all communities to unite in the call for an updated NRC as a prerequisite for any future government census activities.
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