Committees demand immediate pause of Census exercises
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 20 2026: The South-East Tangkhul Co-ordination Committee and the Khanuithot-Khon have expressed endorsement of the call for NRC before census operations.

The Government and the authorities concerned must suspend all census related exercises including a 3-day training for enumerators and supervisors scheduled to be held at Kasom Khullen and other block headquarters, said the South-East Tangkhul Co-ordination Committee in a statement.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) must be conducted prior to Census 2027 in Manipur, said the committee, endorsing the call made by the United Naga Council (UNC) on August 18 .

Manipur, especially Kamjong district, faces serious challenges related to citizenship, migration, and demographic.

Conducting the census before NRC will result in an inaccurate and misleading population count, it said.

Census data forms the basis for administrative planning, political representation, and delimitation.

Without prior NRC verification, the rights and representation of indigenous communities of Kamjong district will be compromised, it added.

The Census 2027 will determine governance and policy for decades.

Flawed data will have irreversible consequences for Kamjong district and the entire State, it said, urging the Government to update the NRC first.

The Khanuithot-Khon, in a separate press statement, has also urged the Government to update the NRC or implement an equivalent legally authorised population-verification mechanism for Manipur before any census operations.

To protest the indigenous communities and their rights and interests, illegal immigrants settling in Manipur must be detected and identified before census operations, it said.

It also urged the Government to strengthen border management and documentation systems, particularly along the Indo-Myanmar border.

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