2-day statewide general strike as ‘No NRC, No Census’ intensifies in Mnp

IMPHAL, AUG 17: The campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) has called a 48-hour statewide general strike in Manipur beginning Tuesday, as the “No NRC, No Census” movement gained momentum with fresh protests across the valley districts.
Announcing the strike, JFD convener Jitendra Ningombam accused the government of pressing ahead with the Census exercise without addressing the demand for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) first. The self-enumeration phase of the Census of India 2027 house-listing operations began Monday and will continue till August 31, followed by house-to-house listing in September.
Civil society organizations including the Native Peoples’ Committee, United Meitei Pangal Committee, and Foot Hills Naga Council extended unconditional support to the strike call. Ningombam warned that if the government failed to respond positively, the agitation would escalate into more intense forms of protest. “All activities related to the census operations must be deferred until the implementation and completion of the NRC,” he asserted.
The agitation turned tense on Monday when two students were injured in a clash with security forces outside the Hindi Teacher Training College at DM University. The students attempted to disrupt official Census training programs for enumerators and supervisors, prompting security personnel to baton-charge them. Another group of students from higher secondary schools in Imphal West staged a protest rally under the JFD’s student wing, chanting slogans in support of the demand. The rally, closely monitored by security forces, was allowed along Tidim Road before returning to its starting point.
Women vendors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel also joined the agitation, suspending business and staging a sit-in protest. They clarified that they were not opposed to the Census itself but insisted that NRC updation must precede any headcount to address concerns over demographic shifts, illegal immigration and the status of internally displaced persons. “We have no problem with the Census, but NRC must come first,” one vendor said.
Protesters further voiced opposition to any compromise on Manipur’s territorial integrity in resolving disputes along the Indo-Myanmar border. Similar demonstrations were reported in Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur districts, where students targeted government institutions conducting Census training programs.
The JFD’s two-day strike is expected to paralyze normal life across the state, with the movement gaining traction among students, civil society groups, and market vendors. The government has yet to issue a formal response to the demand, even as security forces remain on high alert to prevent escalation.