Muslim bodies protest inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf Board, back JFD's NRC-first demand
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 19 2026: Several Muslim organisations staged a protest meeting at Keirao Litan Makhong on Wednesday, opposing the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Waqf Board and extending support to the Just & Fair Delimitation (JFD) campaign's demand for NRC update before Census in Manipur.

The protest was jointly organised by Jamiatul Ulama Keirao Kendra (JUKK), Keirao Urup Thongkhong Bazar Board Committee (KUTBBC) and All Round Development Organisation Keirao Kendra (ARDO) .

Speakers at the meeting raised slogans against the BJP Government and asserted that the Waqf Board is meant exclusively for Muslims and non-Muslims should not be inducted into it.

Addressing the gathering, MI Khan, advisor of ARDO Keirao Kendra, said the Waqf Board in India is a religious body dealing only with Muslim affairs and has no connection with other religions.

"The Board does not run on Government funding.

The Waqf Board has existed in India even before independence and has been working to support the poor and needy", he said.

Drawing a comparison, Khan said just as it would be unacceptable to have non-Meeteis in the Sanamahi Temple Board or non-Hindus in the Govindaji Temple Board, it is equally unacceptable to have non-Muslims in the Waqf Board.

He further warned that the protest will continue until all non-Muslim members appointed to the Manipur Waqf Board are removed.

Meanwhile, KUTBBC and ARDO also held a separate protest meeting at Keirao Litan in support of the JFD agitation demanding that the Census should not be conducted before updating the NRC.

At the meeting, MI Khan said that conducting the Census without first identifying illegal immigrants through an NRC update would lead to a demographic shift in Manipur.

"If the Census is carried out without filtering out outsiders, illegal immigrants will outnumber the indigenous and native people of the State, and outsiders may eventually come to power", he cautioned.

He urged the authorities to complete the NRC update first and only then begin the Census process.

Stating that the present situation in Manipur is not conducive for a Census exercise, Khan said the Government should consider deferring the Census in areas where conditions are not normal.

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