Manipur MP Urges Centre to Delay Census Amid Ongoing Displacement

Imphal: Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam wants the Centre to stall the Census and delimitation in Manipur. He sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 19. He warned that the state remains too unstable for a reliable head count.

Violence has spread to new regions. Clashes between Scheduled Tribe communities currently plague Ukhrul, Kamjong, and Noney districts. Highways are blocked. Access to basic services is broken. Nearly 60,000 people are displaced, making a credible enumeration impossible. Akoijam previously raised these issues in the Lok Sabha on March 30 under Rule 377.

The MP insists the state needs a functional National Register of Citizens and a Foreigners Tribunal before counting heads. He argued the exercise must be handled correctly. During a press briefing at 24 Akbar Road in New Delhi on Thursday, Akoijam clarified his position. "The exercise must be conducted in conditions that ensure its findings are accurate, credible and acceptable to the people of Manipur," he said. He maintains that he does not oppose the Census itself. He only wants the process to wait until people return home and normalcy resumes.