AMUCO, others urge PM to put off census
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 20 2026: Five civil society organisations including the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer census operations in Manipur.

AMUCO, All Manipur Women's Voluntary Association (AMAWOVA), Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba Manipur (PLMPAM), Committee on Human Rights (COHR) and Manipuri Students' Federation (MSF) today submitted a memorandum through the Governor.

The lengthy memorandum highlights several grounds which necessitate deferment of Census 2027 .

It said that several districts continue to face serious law and order challenges and restrictions on free movement.

Many habitations remain inaccessible because members of one community cannot move freely into areas inhabited by other communities and vice versa, it said.

The ongoing unrest has resulted in large-scale internal displacement with thousands of people residing in relief camps or relocated to other areas within and outside the State.

Citing presence of undocumented immigrants in districts such as Churachandpur, Tengnou-pal, Chandel, Kamjong and Kangpokpi, the CSOs expressed concerns that the presence of these undocumented immigrants may result in distorted population data with long-term implications for governance, security, welfare schemes and resource allocation.

It may also adversely affect the political framework, particularly in the context of delimitation, the CSOs said.

At present, key factors such as security constraints, population displacement and administrative limitations render the census exercise impracticable, the civil organisations asserted.

The five CSOs said that security constraints may limit physical verification, increasing vulnerability to data manipulation and reducing the overall reliability of the census.

The joint memorandum categorically states that conducting Census 2027 under the present conditions may lead to serious consequences.

Census figures, once published, remain legally binding for years, making correction of inaccuracies extremely difficult and this could have cascading effects on governance for decades.

The CSOs said that the NRC is a long-overdue exercise in Manipur.

The memorandum urged the Prime Minister to defer Census 2027 until the security situation stabilises and all areas become fully accessible for enumeration; displaced persons are rehabilitated at their permanent places of residence or a reliable mechanism for counting displaced persons is established and a comprehensive verification mechanism is implemented to address issues related to undocumented immigration and data integrity.

It said that the Government of India should give primacy to NRC updation in Manipur as more immediate and necessary exercise under a transparent and time-bound implementation framework, adequate safeguards to prevent wrongful exclusion and with involvement of civil society organisations and community representatives, and an independent oversight mechanism to ensure fairness and accuracy.

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