Manipur Police foil protest march to Assembly

Police in Manipur on Monday thwarted an attempt by protesters to storm the Legislative Assembly complex in Imphal during the ongoing budget session. The demonstrators, under the banner of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), were demanding the detection of illegal immigrants before the proposed census exercise in the state.
Carrying placards and banners with slogans such as “No NRC – no census” and “No census before ending the ongoing conflict”, a large group of protesters marched toward the Assembly while the session was in progress. They were stopped by security personnel after a brief struggle, and the situation was brought under control.
The JFD argued that conducting the census without first identifying illegal immigrants would undermine the credibility of the exercise. A leader of the group said the protest was intended to draw the attention of legislators and urged the Assembly to adopt a resolution deferring the census until immigrants are identified through the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or a similar mechanism.
She further insisted that the census should not be conducted under the prevailing unrest in the state, pointing to the displacement of internally displaced persons (IDPs). “If the census goes ahead without addressing the demand of the people, it would be a big mistake besides producing flawed data,” she said.
Another protester warned that the JFD would intensify its agitation if the government ignored the concerns of indigenous communities. The group has long campaigned against census operations in Manipur until immigration issues are resolved, alleging that past census exercises included large numbers of illegal immigrants in population lists.
The JFD also questioned the timing of the census, noting that similar exercises had been deferred in Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh under special circumstances such as conflict, calamities, or pandemics.
With tensions still high in Manipur, the JFD maintained that the scheduled census must be postponed until peace is restored and mechanisms are in place to identify illegal immigrants.
Mnp govt confirms 1,435 UNLF cadres in camps
The Manipur government has confirmed that 1,435 cadres of the Pambei-led United National Liberation Front (UNLF-P) are lodged in six designated camps under the peace accord signed with the Centre on November 29, 2023. State Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh informed the Assembly that cadre verification has been completed and basic amenities are being provided at the camps. The Centre has sanctioned Rs.5.83 crore for upkeep, released in five installments between December 2023 and April 2024, with another Rs. 5.16 crore proposed for May–October 2024. Each cadre receives a monthly stipend of Rs. 6,000.
The UNLF, one of Manipur’s oldest insurgent groups, split in 2020, with Khundongbam Pambei’s faction entering peace talks while the larger faction led by RK Achou Singh opposed negotiations. The accord aims to resolve decades of conflict through dialogue.
The UNLF-P’s strength is more than half of the combined cadre base of over 30 Kuki militant groups currently under Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements.