The Kuki Zo Council in Manipur has opposed Meitei civil society organizations’ demand for the National Register of Citizens to be conducted before the population census scheduled for 2027, highlighting demographic concerns that should first be addressed through verified population data, calling it “premature and unjustified.”
The statement comes days after a 48-hour-long demonstration by the Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) student wing and other Meitei bodies calling to stop all census-related activities until “illegal immigrants” are identified.
The demonstration began on August 17 following the outrage from student organizations and civil society groups in Imphal rejecting the preparations for the 2022 census. Meantime, in a statement dated August 23, the KZC welcomed the decennial census. The census was delayed from 2021 following the covid-19 pandemic.
The council backed delimitation based on verified demographic figures and said it was necessary to ensure fair representation. But the council opposed any separate NRC exercise in Manipur, saying that the NRC was a national process that could not be undertaken independently by a community or the state government.
“There is no legitimate basis for any Manipur-based group or the state government to dictate the timing or implementation of the national NRC exercise,” the council said.
According to the KZC, demands for an NRC ahead of the Census were based largely on unverified allegations and speculation about the Kuki-Zo community. The council said such claims should be tested against the official demographic data generated by the Census.
“Demanding an NRC before the completion and publication of Census 2027 results is premature and unjustified,” it said.
Furthermore, the council also highlighted the NRC exercise conducted under the Assam Accord of 1985, which left around 19 lakh people out of the final list.
The KZC also said that the NRC is the center’s responsibility and no group in Manipur can decide when or how it is carried out.
“Given the falsehoods and propaganda surrounding our population and demographic status during the Manipur conflict, an impartial census is essential to establish facts and dispel unfounded claims,” the statement read.
“Those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur should first consider its complexity, implications, and consequences,” the statement said.
