Manipur NRC agitation intensifies: Meira Paibis, students demand 1951 base year before Census
Synopsis
Manipur's NRC agitation has spread to schools and village councils, with Meira Paibis and JFD students setting a hard end-September deadline for the government to formalise the 1951 base year in writing. The Centre has already deferred Census-2027 in the state under protest pressure — but civil society says verbal assurances are not enough, and the next escalation is on the table.
Key Takeaways
Meira Paibis , representatives from around 20 villages , and students joined NRC protests in Imphal on 19 September 2026 .
The JFD has set an end- September deadline for the state government to issue a formal order confirming 1951 as the NRC base year.
Three JFD demands: NRC updation before Census; resettlement of IDPs before Census; adoption of 1951 as the base year.
The Central government deferred Census-2027 in Manipur on 31 August , a day before it was scheduled to begin, amid civil society pressure.
The Manipur Legislative Assembly reaffirmed its resolution for NRC updation before Census on 2 September ; Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has conveyed this to the Centre.
Protests have been ongoing across five Imphal Valley districts since 17 August , organised by the CJFD and allied CSOs.
Influential Meira Paibis (women torchbearers), representatives from around 20 villages, and students in Manipur joined widening protests on Saturday, 19 September 2026, demanding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be updated before the Census-2027, with 1951 fixed as the base year. The demonstrations mark a fresh escalation in a months-long civil society movement that has already forced the Centre to defer the Census exercise in the state.
Key Developments on the Ground
Two separate protests were organised in Imphal West: one by the North Imphal Meira and Clubs Co-ordinating Committee (NIMAC) at Khonghampat Awang Leikai, and another by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) Students' Wing at Keishamthong. Students of Ramlal Paul Higher Secondary School also joined the JFD-led agitation, reflecting a broadening base of participation.
Protesters carried placards reading 'Truth, Transparency, Justice', 'Our Land, Our People, Our Future', and 'Our Land, Our Right, Our Responsibility'. They also raised slogans against the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement and demanded that innocent villagers not be arrested.
What the JFD Is Demanding
Addressing a public meeting at Khonghampat, JFD Convenor Jeetendra Ningombam outlined three core demands: the NRC must be updated before the Census; internally displaced persons (IDPs) must be resettled in their respective homes before the Census is conducted; and 1951 must be adopted as the base year for NRC updation.
Ningombam warned that the JFD would intensify its agitation if the state government failed to issue a formal order by the end of September confirming the 1951 base year. He urged the government to make public any assurance or commitment received from the Centre, insisting that verbal commitments were insufficient. He also claimed that failure to update the NRC could have long-term implications for the state's demographic composition.
JFD Students' Wing volunteer Md. Shahaj Khan, who organised the school protest, noted that the state government had reportedly stated during the monsoon that the Census would be deferred and the NRC updated using 1951 as the base year — but said no formal document had been issued to substantiate this. Student Mangalsana Sapam expressed solidarity with the JFD movement, saying people in Manipur had long been demanding NRC updation before the Census.
Background: How the Agitation Reached This Point
The CJFD and various other civil society organisations (CSOs) have been holding large-scale agitations in the Imphal Valley region since 17 August, primarily across five districts: Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching. The pressure yielded a significant result when, on 31 August — a day before the Census was scheduled to begin — the Central government announced the deferral of the Census-2027 exercise specifically for Manipur.
The Manipur Legislative Assembly has since reaffirmed its earlier resolution to update the NRC before Census-2027. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has conveyed this position to the Central government. The Assembly's latest move on 2 September came amid continued pressure from CSOs demanding formal action rather than assurances.
What Happens Next
The JFD has set an informal deadline of end-September for the state government to issue a formal order on the 1951 base year. Absent that, the organisation has signalled a further escalation of protest activity. With the Manipur Assembly aligned with civil society demands and the Centre having already conceded on the Census timeline, the focus now shifts to whether a formal NRC updation order will materialise — and on what terms.
Point of View
The deferral solves nothing structurally. The JFD's deadline tactic puts the state government in an awkward position: it has publicly backed the demand in the Assembly, yet cannot act without Centre clearance. The real question is whether Manipur's demographic anxieties — rooted in the state's unresolved ethnic conflict — can be addressed through a bureaucratic exercise like NRC updation, or whether this agitation is also a proxy for deeper political grievances that no register can resolve.
NationPress
20 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NRC agitation in Manipur about?
Civil society organisations in Manipur are demanding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be updated with 1951 as the base year before the Census-2027 exercise is conducted in the state. Protesters argue that conducting the Census before NRC updation could entrench what they describe as demographic changes unfavourable to the indigenous population.
Why has the Centre deferred Census-2027 in Manipur?
The Central government announced the deferral of Census-2027 in Manipur on 31 August — one day before the exercise was scheduled to begin — amid mounting protests by civil society organisations demanding NRC updation first. The deferral is specific to Manipur and does not affect the national Census timeline.
What is the JFD's end-September deadline about?
JFD Convenor Jeetendra Ningombam has warned that the organisation will escalate its agitation if the state government does not issue a formal written order by the end of September 2026 confirming that 1951 will be used as the base year for NRC updation. The JFD says verbal assurances are insufficient.
What is the significance of 1951 as the NRC base year?
Using 1951 as the base year for NRC updation would mean that only those who can trace their lineage to residents of Manipur as of the 1951 National Register would be recognised as original inhabitants. Proponents say this would protect indigenous communities; critics in other quarters argue it sets an exclusionary bar with complex evidentiary requirements.
What has the Manipur state government done so far?
The Manipur Legislative Assembly reaffirmed its resolution to update the NRC before Census-2027 at its most recent session, and Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has communicated this position to the Central government. However, no formal administrative order has been issued on the 1951 base year, which remains the central demand of protest groups.
