Identify ‘Indian nationals’ prior to delimitation in Manipur, valley groups appeal to Modi govt

Interacting with media at Indian Women’s Press Corps, delegation of 14 CSOs, Kangleipak, and community leaders said they’ve submitted representations to PMO, MHA and Registrar General of India.

Delegation of 14 CSOs, Kangleipak, and community leaders addressing media at Indian Women’s Press Corps in New Delhi on 25 August, 2026 | Samridhi Tewari/ThePrint

New Delhi: Amid fresh unrest in Manipur, a delegation of 14 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Kangleipak, and community leaders held a press conference here Tuesday. They said they have submitted representations to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Union Home Minister, Registrar General of India, and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) demanding that authorities identify Indian nationals before the delimitation exercise in Manipur.

“We, the 14 CSOs and Community leaders, have put forward to the State and Central Government to defer the present census exercise and facilitate the update of NRC before any delimitation exercise in Manipur,” Santa Nahakpam, convenor of the 14 CSOs, Kangleipak, told the media.

Interacting with the media at the Indian Women’s Press Corps here, the group of 14 CSOs and community leaders said they believe the demand for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) is “common” and the government “must not have any problem in working with the people of Manipur to protect its political integrity for the original Indian citizens”.

Those part of the delegation are affiliated with Kabui Union Manipur, Kom Union Manipur, Rongmei Naga Manipur and Meitei Pangal Manipur and MI (Representative of IDP Manipur), along with other stakeholders.

Manipur is witnessing fresh unrest, mostly in valley districts home to the non-tribal Meitei population, over the central government’s decision to conduct a census without an NRC, followed by a delimitation exercise. Citizens and students’ groups are demanding that the government first compile the NRC to delineate legal residents from illegal immigrants in Manipur before going ahead with the census exercise.

A citizens’ group under the banner of “Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation” last week called for a 48-hour boycott of all central and state government offices in the state. On Saturday, around 2,000 women participated in a torch rally at Keishampat junction in Imphal West to press for the demand. And it’s not just the Meiteis opposing it. Two other ethnic groups, Meitei Pangals (Muslims) and Nagas, have reiterated the demand.

‘Link identification of citizens to 1951’

At the press conference Tuesday, Santa Nahakpam said they have requested both the Centre and Manipur government to link the identification of citizens to 1951.

In a press statement issued by the 14 CSOs, Kangleipak, and community leaders, it mentioned that the Manipur State Constitution Act—enacted before Manipur’s merger with the Union of India—listed the number of villages through an official gazette.

“Manipur kingdom had its own entry and exit pass for foreigners and the historical entry and exit pass/permit system in Manipur was abolished on November 18, 1950, by the then Chief Commissioner, Himmat Singh, following the state’s merger into the Dominion of India,” read the statement.

Further, it said, the first census and NRC in Manipur was held in 1951 on the basis of a list of 1,948 villages. Thereafter Manipur remained a single district until 1969 when it was re-organised into 5 districts and 25 sub-division where only 1,947 villages were reflected.

The Manipur government in January this year froze administrative boundaries (districts, tehsils, and villages) till 31 March, 2027. The number of villages in Manipur, according to the 2011 census, is currently at 2,540 from 1,866 villages listed in 1961. 

The district-wise village expansion, when compared from 1961-2011 census data, shows the number of villages in Chandel increased from 244 to 430, in Churachandpur from 290 to 599 and in Tamenglong from 163 to 175; while the number declined in Ukhril from 223 to 213, in Bishnupur from 61 to 48, in Thoubal from 113 to 87, in Imphal West from 142 to 115 and in Imphal East from 262 to 203, the statement added.

Apart from these, many hamlets and new villages are under application for recognition, Nahakpam said while sharing the data.

“The rise in villages mainly in Churachandpur and Chandel, etc., can be linked to various villages recognized under the secy of Hill Area under the Hill Area Committee under Article 371C of the Indian Constitution and the Schedule Tribes order enacted in 1950,” he said.

Adding, “The 14 CSO, Kangleipak, and community leaders have put the above points as the reason why the people of Manipur are demanding the updating of NRC.”

Demand for NRC

Nahakpam also mentioned that Manipur has a porous border with Myanmar and the “only safeguard of detecting foreigners was the entry and exit pass which was abolished in 1950”.

The community leaders also urged the Centre and Manipur government to facilitate tripartite talks involving various stakeholders to discuss implementation and exercise of NRC before any delimitation in Manipur.

Further, Nahakpam also acknowledged the issue of detection and deportation of immigrants.

“…in this regard, we appreciate the Constitutional law which protects and preserve the interest of the original Indian citizens, we also wish to remind the above data and repeat that there is a need to detect through a base year to make sure that the political power doesn’t go to the hands of non-original inhabitants; various facilities are limited to original Indian citizen,” he said.

Many in Manipur blame the illegal influx for the ethnic conflict that first rocked the state in May 2023. The conflict broke out between the two prominent ethnic communities in the state: non-tribal Meiteis, Hindus; and tribal Kukis, mainly Christians. The violence has so far claimed at least 200 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people across the state. It has now, however, moved from Meiteis at odds with Kukis to Kukis at odds with Nagas. 

Though no survey has been carried out by the state government or any other agency, resentment has been brewing among Meiteis for long over the illegal immigration that, according to them, has led to a spurt in Kuki population in hill districts. This, Meiteis say, could end up lowering representation of non-tribals in the Assembly after delimitation.

Further, Nahakpam said that the 14 CSO, Kangleipak, and community leaders have also urged the Kuki Zo Council and Paolienlal Haokip, the BJP MLA from Saikot, to study census data from 1951-2011 to better understand the basis for their demands. 

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)