Manipur's opposition Indian National Congress on Thursday, 20 August asserted that the Centre can complete the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state within two to three months, provided it demonstrates genuine commitment to resolving the crisis gripping Manipur. The statement came as protests against Census-2027 enumerator training intensified across the Imphal Valley.

What Congress Demanded

Congress state President and three-term Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh (2002–2017) told reporters that NRC updation and other critical issues are not insurmountable obstacles for the Union Government. 'If the Union Government wants, the updation of the NRC and resolution of other crucial issues of Manipur are not a big problem for it. The NRC should be updated first before Census-2027 is conducted. If required, the Constitution should be amended,' Singh said.

Singh squarely attributed the delay to what he called the Centre's ignorance and indifference toward Manipur's people. He questioned how a credible house-listing exercise could proceed when an estimated 60,000 violence-affected Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remain in relief camps and thousands of homes have been destroyed during the ongoing ethnic conflict.

Civil Society Delegation Heads to New Delhi

A joint delegation comprising representatives of 14 civil society organisations (CSOs) — including members of the Naga, Kom, and Meitei Pangal communities — departed Imphal on Thursday for New Delhi to press the Centre on NRC updation and the pending Census exercise. The delegation intends to meet central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, ministers, and is seeking an audience with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Serto Hao Kom, President of the Kom Union Manipur, said the delegation was seeking dialogue, not confrontation. 'We want a discussion, not a confrontation, and seek an understanding on these issues while keeping the interests of the people of Manipur in mind,' he said. The organisations involved include the Kabui Union, the Rongmei Naga Youth Organisation, Manipur, and the All Manipur Muslim Organisations Coordinating Committee (AMMOCOC). The delegation also stressed that identification of genuine Indian citizens through the NRC must precede the pending delimitation exercise in the state.

Student Protests and Census Training Disrupted

A large number of students staged a protest rally at Thangmeiband in Imphal, raising the slogan 'No NRC, No Census' and demanding that the Census not be conducted until IDPs return to their homes. The protests have had a tangible administrative impact: several district administrations in the Imphal Valley have either deferred or cancelled enumerator and supervisor training programmes scheduled under Census-2027.

A Home Department official confirmed that a three-day training programme under the first phase of the Census exercise had been scheduled to begin on 20 August but was disrupted in the valley districts. Notably, similar training programmes have already commenced in districts in the mountainous region of the state, highlighting a stark divide in administrative progress between the hills and the valley.

The Broader Context

Manipur has been convulsed by ethnic violence since May 2023, displacing tens of thousands and leaving large swathes of the state's administrative machinery strained. The NRC debate is not new to India — Assam's NRC process, completed in 2019, was prolonged and contentious. Critics argue that conducting Census-2027 without first updating the NRC risks embedding inaccuracies into foundational demographic data at a time when the state's population geography has been radically altered by displacement. This is the latest in a series of escalating demands from civil society and political parties in Manipur for the Centre to prioritise the NRC before any broader demographic exercise.