Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: The Naga People’s Union, Imphal is pushing back against the state government. They oppose starting a census before officials implement the National Register of Citizens. NPUI president M. Ngaranmi says the government failed to provide concrete assurances regarding the identification of illegal immigrants. The union now backs the Joint Forum for Delimitation and its ongoing No NRC, No Census campaign.
Ngaranmi argues that updating the registry protects the land and identity of indigenous groups. He highlighted concerns over unauthorized settlements shifting the state demographic balance. He criticized local leaders for doing too little to guard indigenous rights. The union president said, "No NRC, No Census."
Ashang Kasar, convenor of the Peoples Committee Manipur, also entered the fray. The former head of the Indigenous Peoples Forum wants the state to use 1951 as the base year for the register. He says this must happen before any census or delimitation work begins. Jeetendra Ningomba leads the Joint Forum for Delimitation. They remain the primary group driving the protest against the current self-enumeration process.
Updated at 14th August 2026 at 6:30pm
Tensions boiled over on August 14 when the student wing of the Joint Forum for Delimitation forced the cancellation of a census training session at Moirang College. Protesters stormed the venue, forcing officials to shut down the event. Police later arrested the participants who disrupted the proceedings.
The push against the August 17 census launch moved to the state capital on Friday. JFD leadership swarmed Lok Bhavan, seeking a direct meeting with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to stall the counting process. While the government moves ahead with its timeline, organizers are doubling down, demanding that the state account for undocumented residents before any official data collection begins.
Updated at 14th August 2026 at 10:01pm
The protest movement gained traction in Bishnupur district on August 14. Naorem Wangamba, the students' wing convenor for the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation, confirmed that demonstrators disrupted the training programme at Moirang College to block the upcoming census. Protesters cleared the hall before training began to ensure no data collection work started.
In the capital, the demonstration on Friday involved a march from the Palace Compound to Lok Bhavan. While security forces blocked the main crowd, authorities allowed a JFD delegation to enter the Governor's office to deliver a formal representation. JFD convenor Jitendra Ningombam confirmed the group is specifically targeting an update on the status of the NRC process from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
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