Defer census : MP in Lok Sabha
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 30 2026: Lok Sabha MP Dr Bimol Akoijam has urged the Central Government to defer census and delimitation exercises until a robust citizen database is established by updating the National Register of Indian Citizens or National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Manipur.

The MP raised this during the Lok Sabha session today under Rule 377, requiring the Union Minister concerned to respond to the issues raised within 30 days.

Dr Bimol raised the issue in the Lok Sabha amid mounting public pressure on the Government to postpone upcoming census exercises until illegal immigrants are identified through an NRC exercise.

In a letter written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, after the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha, Dr Bimol highlighted key issues, including past anomalies in census data and concerns over abnormal population growth in certain areas of Manipur, and emphasised that proceeding with proposed census and delimitation without first addressing the problems may aggravate tensions.

The MP stressed that the 2001 Census in Manipur recorded abnormal population growth figures in several hill subdivisions, which were later challenged in the Court.

He noted that the Gauhati High Court in 2007 had then directed a fresh population count before those figures could be used for delimitation.

While the controversy has remained unresolved, the abnormalities in the headcount are highly suspected to be associated with competition for seats in the State Legislative Assembly, Dr Bimol said.

The State which shares a porous border with Myanmar facing the problem of illegal immigration is not new, Dr Bimol said, mentioning about a news report which quoted a Churachandpur-based educationist acknowledging the presence of people from across the border.

Further serious concern has been raised about the involvement of illegal immigrants in the present crisis in Manipur, including the menace of illicit drug business and the massive presence of illicit opium poppy plantations, extending the sphere of the "Golden Triangle" to the State of Manipur, Dr Bimol said.

The anomalies of the controversial census must be objectively resolved to ensure that it does not become the basis for any delimitation exercise.

Census and delimitation exercises in Manipur must therefore be deferred until the Government conducts the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise to update the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC), Dr Bimol said.

Further, the Government must also set up a Foreigners Tribunal for Manipur under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, so that aliens/foreigners are delineated from the genuine citizens, he added.

Comment