CSO opposes planned census operation in Manipur

A civil society group in Manipur on Sunday reiterated its demand for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify illegal immigrants before the planned 2027 Indian Census in the state.
Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), a civil society initiative advocating for a fair redrawing of legislative boundaries, demanding postponement of the 2027 Census in the state, raised strong objection while alleging that the concerned authorities in Manipur were going ahead with preparation for the planned census.
The body has been campaigning for the delay of the planned census operation in respect of Manipur fearing flawed data due to influx and ongoing conflict.
Addressing a news conference in Imphal on Sunday, JFD convener Jitendra Ningomba alleged that unheeding to the calls from various section of the society, preparations were being made to go ahead with the census while citing a recent Manipur government’s gazette notification freezing administrative boundaries of all districts in Manipur from January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
He said that the census must not be carried out in the state until a proper mechanism such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or an effective system to identify and remove illegal immigrants was fully implemented.
Ningomba said that due to ongoing conflict, population displacement, and security concerns, a reliable census would not be impossible until normalcy returns and an NRC is in place to address illegal immigration.
He further warned that carrying out the census without addressing this issue could adversely affect Manipur’s integrity and future delimitation process.
He said that the JFD had highlighted its concern on the census operation in a memorandum to the Union ministry of home affairs on December 15, 2025.
Copies of the memorandum were also submitted to the Manipur Governor, the Election Commission of India, and the census directorate.
He further stated that a meeting attended by representatives of 12 political parties held on December 27, 2025 had also unanimously resolved to urge the Central government to postpone the planned census in respect of Manipur until the issues raised by the JFD were addressed.
Reiterating JFD’s firm stand, the convener said it will continue to oppose the census and delimitation process in Manipur unless they are conducted in a just, fair, and lawful manner.
He also appealed to the public and political parties to take responsible steps to stop authorities to go ahead with the census and delimitation exercise in the state.
Notably, going ahead with its planned census, the Manipur government has frozen all administrative boundaries across the state from January 1, 2026.
The state government has issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification on December 31, 2025 regarding the matter.
The notification was published in the Manipur Gazette Extraordinary, Issue No. 255, dated Friday, January 2, 2026.
According to the notification issued by the state home department, the Governor of Manipur has exercised powers conferred under Clause (iv) of Rule 8 of the Census Rules, 1990.
As per the order, the administrative boundaries of all districts, tehsils, villages, and other related units in the state shall remain frozen with effect from January 1, 2026, until March 31, 2027.
The boundary freeze is a standard administrative measure undertaken ahead of Census operations to ensure uniformity and consistency in population enumeration and data collection.