NRC must precede delimitation : COCOMI
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 21 2025: Listing a series of demands to restore normalcy in Manipur, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has urged the Government to not proceed with the delimitation exercise until a National Register of Citizens (NRC) specific to Manipur is created.

Addressing the media at COCOMI office at Lamphel today, COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said that the Supreme Court has granted three months to the Centre for carrying out the delimitation exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.

NRC must precede delimitation : COCOMI

Saying that the delimitation exercise should take place but the case is different in Manipur as there is an overwhelming issue of illegal immigrants, he maintained that over 67,400 bogus voters were recently detected in Manipur alongside unnatural population growth of a particular community in the previous Census.

NRC must take center stage before any delimitation talks, he demanded, stating that 55 organisations support the stand of COCOMI.

He urged the Government to take necessary steps to detect and deport illegal immigrants who entered Manipur after 1950 .

Additionally, he requested that the Government categorize new settlers, native, and indigenous people with 1950 as the base year and ensure they receive their rightful privileges and protections.

He further urged the Government to take legal action against village chiefs and landowners who allow poppy cultivation in their areas and demanded that the Government control the 25 Chin-Kuki-Zomi militant groups under SoO pact, allegedly involved in the crisis, as seen in different viral videos and refrain from doing things which will embolden them furthermore.

Athouba, stated that the Indian Government's alleged "proxy war" to suppress the indigenous Meetei community is becoming increasingly apparent.

The crisis in Manipur is not a conflict between the Meetei and Kuki communities, as often portrayed but a larger conspiracy to keep the State on the boil.

He also said that it is beyond the capacity of Meetei or Meetei civil society organisations to resolve the crisis.

Those who have been opposing the Centre's initiative to make highways and roads in Manipur accessible to all are "separatist groups" who want to break Manipur at any cost, Athouba charged.

He then asked why the Government is still not taking any legal action against the separatist groups that fired at security forces and destroyed State properties at Kangpokpi on March 8 .

Saying that only a dialogue between Meeteis and Kukis cannot resolve the crisis in Manipur, Athouba emphasized that a military crackdown on Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists is necessary for the Government to genuinely restore normalcy in the State.

Blindly believing that dialogue alone will usher in normalcy in Manipur would be a naive and misguided assumption, Athouba said that the Government must take decisive actions to resettle displaced individuals, ensuring their safety and security and secure the highways by neutralizing separatist groups to provide a stable environment for meaningful discussions.

The COCOMI leader also noted that the Government hasn't issued any order nor taken up any initiative to recover arms from hostile elements, particularly Kuki militant groups under the SoO pact, even though Meetei village volunteers have surrendered most of their arms.

Who will protect the Meetei villagers in foothill areas if Kuki militants resume their offensive?, he asked while asserting that the disparity in arms recovery and surrender has made Meetei villagers more vulnerable.