Cops disperse protesters at Census office
Meira Rally staged JFD urges all to march to DC offices
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 16 2026: The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) has appealed to all sections of people to march to offices of Deputy Commissioners from tomorrow, take out torch rallies and press the Government to defer the census exercise.

Responding to the call of the JFD, torch rallies were taken out tonight along Uripok-Kangchup Road, Tiddim Road, Kongba Road and Khurai-Lamlong etc .

The protesters shouted slogans categorically saying that no census exercise will be allowed until the NRC is updated and IDPs are resettled.

Meira Rally staged JFD urges all to march to DC offices

On the other hand, police took up stringent security measures so as to prevent any untoward incident during the torch rallies.

Speaking to media persons at WAL Club ground, Wangkhei Angom Leikai today, JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba said that they have been protesting at WAL Club ground for the last six days demanding updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before commencing the census exercise.

However, there has been no response from the Government till date.

After threadbare deliberation with leaders of several organisations including Meira Paibi groups, it has been resolved to intensify the agitation of boycotting the census exercise, he said.

The JFD convenor appealed to all sections of people to take out protest marches to DC offices and stage torch rallies.

He urged all civil organisations of both the valley and the hills to march to DC offices with the common slogan that no census exercise will be allowed until the NRC is updated.

If the Government continues with its callous attitude even after this phase of agitation, more intense agitation like mass rallies, bandhs etc will be announced in the next couple of days, Jeetendra said.

The self-enumeration process which is scheduled from August 17 to 31 through a mobile app cannot be prohibited directly but all indigenous people across the State can certainly stay away from the same process, he said.

As for the house listing process scheduled to commence from September 1, the JFD is fully prepared to launch strong movements to thwart the same process, he said.

He also appealed to all enumerators and supervisors to stay away from all census related works, even if it is their duty, in the collective interest of Manipur.

Meanwhile, the JFD Students' Wing has accused police of unleashing brute force upon students who were staging a democratic protest at the Directorate of Census today.

The students' wing convenor Naorem Wangamba alleged that a police team led by Imphal East DSP fired several rounds of tear gas shells and mock bombs among the protesting students.

The police personnel also shoved many girl students into ditches/drains.

Saying that three students sustained injuries in the hostile police action, Wangamba has demanded suspension of the particular DSP within 24 hours.

He appealed to students of all Government and private schools and colleges to join the JFD Student Wing's protest agitation tomorrow.

If school/college authorities object to students' participation in the ongoing movement, they should bear responsibility for all the consequences resulting thereof, he said.

On the other hand, a protest demonstration was held today at DM College Gate, Thangmeiband under the banner "No NRC, No Census".

The protest demonstration was jointly organised by the Ema Khunthokhanbi Meira Paibi and the JFD .