Manipur civil society groups pitch for NRC before Census 2027

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Fourteen civil society organisations from Manipur on Wednesday urged the Centre to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state before completing the ongoing Census 2027 exercise. They said this is necessary to address concerns over demographic changes and alleged illegal immigration in the state. A delegation, which was in Delhi from July 5-7, met Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, and two senior officials in the Union home ministry to press the demand. In a statement issued after the meetings, the organisations said they had urged the Centre to notify the updating of the NRC in Manipur before the Census 2027 process is completed in the state or carry out the two exercises simultaneously. They also sought withholding of the state's final Census 2027 population figures until the NRC exercise is completed and asked the Centre not to undertake delimitation of parliamentary or assembly constituencies before that process is over. The delegation argued that decades of cross-border migration from Myanmar had altered Manipur's demographic profile and urged the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes in the home ministry to accord priority to examining the issue in the state. It also cited resolutions passed by the Manipur assembly, including communications sent by the state government to the Centre in January 2023, seeking implementation of the NRC in Manipur. While welcoming Census 2027, the organisations said they opposed its completion in the state without first addressing what they described as long-standing concerns over the accuracy of census figures in some hill districts, arguing that these would have a bearing on future delimitation. Besides seeking the updating of NRC, they urged the Centre to include a representative of a proposed Manipur Population Commission in the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes and expedite the committee's inquiry into the state. The demand for an NRC in Manipur has gained traction among several Meitei organisations since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023. They contend that unchecked illegal immigration from Myanmar has contributed to demographic changes, a claim disputed by Kuki-Zo groups, which maintain that the conflict stems from political and constitutional issues rather than migration. PTI SBR ZMN