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Meiteis, Nagas Demand NRC Before Census In Manipur
ThePrint··25 Aug
Citizens' groups in Manipur, including Meiteis, Meitei Pangals and Nagas, are demanding a National Register of Citizens before the ongoing Census, fearing demographic change from illegal immigration after Myanmar's 2021 coup. Around 2,000 women held a torch rally in Imphal, and a delegation is in Delhi to meet ministers. The Kuki-Zo Council has opposed the demand as unsubstantiated.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you follow Northeast India affairs, this dispute shows how Census timing itself can become a flashpoint in states with active ethnic tensions.
- Delimitation based on this Census could reshape Manipur's 60-member Assembly seat distribution, affecting political representation for years to come.
- The demand highlights how immigration and citizenship documentation debates seen nationally are playing out with specific local stakes in border states.
What's Happening
- Meitei, Meitei Pangal and Naga groups are demanding an NRC before Manipur's Census, which began data collection in January.
- A citizens' group called a 48-hour boycott of government offices, and about 2,000 women held a torch rally in Imphal West.
- A 10-member delegation representing different communities is currently in Delhi seeking meetings with central ministers on the demand.
Manipur's Long Road Since 2023
- Ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis has continued since May 2023, claiming at least 200 lives and displacing over 60,000 people.
- Manipur's Assembly reserves 20 of 60 seats for tribal communities, split evenly between Kukis and Nagas, shaping why demographic data matters politically.
- The Kuki-Zo Council says the NRC demand is based on unsubstantiated claims and that the Census itself should provide credible demographic data first.
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