Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: Manipur faces a looming statewide shutdown beginning August 9. Fourteen civil society organizations issued the ultimatum after accusing the state government of ignoring demands to update the National Register of Citizens before the national Census. The groups, led by convenor Nahakpam Shanta, insist the government must host a workshop with legal and NRC experts by August 8 to address their concerns. They fear that conducting the Census first will grant illegal immigrants permanent status as Indian citizens.
Pressure is mounting from multiple fronts. The Meitei/Meetei Tribe Union argues that the Census will fail to address illegal immigration without an NRC. They claim foreign nationals from Myanmar have settled across the hill districts, building infrastructure and infiltrating local governance. The Union further contends that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has exposed illegal voters, pointing to the exclusion of Saikot MLA Paolienlal from the draft list as the “tip of the iceberg.” They report that over one million people have applied for Inner Line Permits since the system started, fueling calls for tighter migration monitoring.
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation also joined the fray. They held street-corner meetings along Indo Burma Sugnu Road and Tiddim Line to protest the timeline. Leaders like L. Bimola, P. Sanahanbi, Sougrakpam Sumati, and W. Phulka argued that the Census violates the Census Act of 1948, as current conditions remain unstable. They highlight that thousands of internally displaced people remain unable to return home following the May 3, 2023 violence. The group demands the government make a public commitment regarding the NRC by August 6.
Past resolutions gather dust. The Manipur Legislative Assembly passed motions for a State Population Commission and NRC updates on August 5, 2022, and March 1, 2024, yet no action followed. Agreements from 1980 and 1994 remain unimplemented. Public trust has vanished. The organizations plan to meet on the evening of August 8 to finalize the duration of the upcoming strike.
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