State Govt must seek census deferment
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 10 2026: The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) has asserted that the State Government must pursue cancellation of deferment of the scheduled census operations instead of seeking selective consensus.

A statement issued by TIM asserted that the integrity of Manipur's demographic profile is paramount.

Any census conducted without the restoration of normalcy, effective governance, safe rehabilitation of all internally displaced persons (IDPs), the deletion of "Any Kuki tribes" from the Scheduled Tribes List of Manipur through due constitutional process, and the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would lack credibility and public confidence, and would compromise the integrity and historical demographic record of Manipur, it said.

TIM has also called upon the Government of India to defer or cancel the Census in Manipur until these essential conditions are fulfilled.

TIM expressed its strong disappointment over the Government of Manipur's decision to invite only the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) and the 14 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for a follow-up meeting on the outcome of the 2-Day Consultative Meeting-cum-Seminar on the Demographic Profile of Manipur, organised by the Government of Manipur itself.

The Seminar was a Statewide consultation in which participants from all communities and organisations were given equal opportunity to present their observations and recommendations.

The collective concern expressed during the deliberations was that, under the prevailing law and order situation and the continuing displacement of people, a credible census in Manipur is not feasible.

"While respecting the esteemed organisations, JFD under COCOMI and the 14 CSOs, holding an exclusive follow-up meeting with only these two groups defeats the very purpose of the seminar organised by the State Home Department and raises serious concerns about the fairness and inclusiveness of the consultative process", TIM said.

The absence of competent authorities, particularly the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, during the two-day Consultative Meeting-cum-Seminar was a serious administrative lapse that undermined the effectiveness and purpose of the exercise, it remarked.

The manner in which the seminar was organised makes it appear to have been an eyewash, marked by poor planning, lack of preparedness, and a hurried approach, especially when the census was reportedly scheduled to commence on August 17, 2026, it said.

TIM has also urged the State Government to stop seeking support from select organisations for conducting Census 2027 and instead impress upon the Government of India the urgent necessity of deferring the census in Manipur until normalcy is fully restored.

The integrity of Manipur's demographic data is non-negotiable and must not be compromised, it added.

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