Census 2027 enumerator training has been deferred or cancelled across four districts in the Imphal Valley region of Manipur after protests demanding updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) disrupted normal life, officials said on Thursday, 20 August. The disruption marks a direct collision between the national headcount exercise and a simmering identity-and-demographics dispute that has long defined Manipur's politics.

Districts Affected and Training Status

A senior Manipur Home Department official confirmed that the district administrations of Jiribam, Imphal West, Thoubal, and Kakching have cancelled or deferred the Census 2027 training for enumerators and supervisors 'with immediate effect.' The three-day Phase I training — covering the House Listing and Housing Census — was scheduled to begin on Thursday under the leadership of the respective Deputy Commissioners, who also serve as Principal Census Officers.

Notably, similar training programmes have already commenced in districts located in the mountainous region of the state, underscoring a geographic split in the census rollout. Self-enumeration under Census 2027 had begun on 17 August, with the main house-listing operation scheduled from 1 September to 30 September this year.

The Agitation Behind the Disruption

The trigger is a sustained agitation launched by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), which began at midnight on Monday demanding that the NRC be updated in Manipur before Census 2027 proceeds. A 48-hour shutdown on Tuesday and Wednesday severely disrupted daily life across the Imphal Valley — a region comprising six districts: Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, and Jiribam.

The JFD has since announced a boycott of all government offices from Thursday, escalating the pressure. The shutdown has drawn broad support from student and youth organisations, women's bodies, and civil society groups — including the influential Meira Paibi (women torchbearers), a historically significant force in Manipur's civic life.

Schools Shut, Security Tightened

The Manipur state Education Department announced a three-day closure of all educational institutions — schools, colleges, and universities across government, aided, and unaided sectors — from Thursday, 20 August to Saturday, 22 August, citing the 'prevailing law and order situation.' The closure covers institutions affiliated to the Board of Secondary Education, the Council of Higher Secondary Education, the CBSE, and universities.

Additional security forces have been deployed across large parts of the Imphal Valley as authorities attempt to contain the situation.

Government's Position on NRC

The Manipur government has publicly stated it supports the demand for NRC updation and has been pursuing the matter with the Centre. Government spokesperson Nityaipat Chuthek and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sapam Ranjan Singh — a former minister — both reiterated the state's seriousness on the issue. Singh noted that the Manipur Assembly had passed a resolution on 5 August 2022 urging NRC updation in the state, a resolution subsequently reaffirmed on 1 March 2024.

Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who returned to Imphal on 18 August after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, said the Centre would take 'positive action' on updating the NRC in Manipur. A team of Manipur MLAs is expected to visit New Delhi shortly to formally urge the Central government to initiate the NRC updation process.

What Comes Next

With the census house-listing operation set to begin on 1 September, the window for resolving the standoff is narrow. Whether the Centre moves on NRC updation — or signals a credible timeline — will likely determine whether the agitation expands beyond the valley. The situation bears watching as a test of federal-state coordination on both the census and the politically fraught NRC question.