Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Manipur NRC Strike Paralyses Imphal Valley Before Deferred Census
People in Manipur held a one-day shutdown over how the population census should be conducted.
The group organizing it wanted the National Register of Citizens updated before the census.
Shops, schools, offices and buses closed in five districts of the Imphal Valley.
Roads were mostly empty, and bamboo poles were placed on some roads to stop traffic.
The Union government said the census in Manipur would be postponed.
This decision followed a meeting led by Home Minister Amit Shah.
The organizing group continued the shutdown because it said there was no official written notice confirming the postponement.
Government leaders asked the group to stop because ordinary people and students were being affected.
Another tribal organization, the Kuki-Zo Council, opposed conducting an NRC only in Manipur.
A 24-hour shutdown demanding National Register of Citizens updation before the Census disrupted life across Manipur’s five Imphal Valley districts.
Shops, markets, educational institutions and most government offices closed, while public transport stayed off the roads.
The Union government deferred the Census-2027 exercise in Manipur after a review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation continued the strike, saying no official written notification confirming the deferment had been issued.
The Kuki-Zo Council opposed a Manipur-specific NRC, calling it discriminatory and unconstitutional, while government leaders urged protesters to end the shutdown.
- Who
- The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation called the shutdown; the Union and Manipur governments deferred the census, while the Kuki-Zo Council opposed a Manipur-specific NRC.
- What
- A 24-hour strike demanded updation of the National Register of Citizens before the Census-2027 exercise.
- When
- The shutdown took place on Tuesday, September 1; the census had been scheduled to begin that day.
- Where
- The disruption affected Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts in Manipur’s Imphal Valley.
- Why
- Organizers wanted the NRC updated before the census and continued protesting because they said no official deferment notification had been issued.
NRC Supporters
NRC Opponents and Authorities
NRC before the Census
NRC Supporters
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation and other civil society organisations demanded that the National Register of Citizens be updated in Manipur before Census-2027.
NRC Opponents and Authorities
The Kuki-Zo Council said an NRC limited to Manipur would be discriminatory and unconstitutional, arguing that the NRC is a national exercise.
Whether the shutdown should continue
NRC Supporters
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation continued the strike because it said the government had not issued an official notification confirming the census deferment.
NRC Opponents and Authorities
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam urged the organizers to call off the shutdown because it affected ordinary people and students.
Government response to the demand
NRC Supporters
Supporters said the demand reflected the aspirations of people in Manipur and welcomed the deferment of the census.
NRC Opponents and Authorities
The Union government deferred the census after a high-level review meeting, while the Kuki-Zo Council rejected the proposal for a state-specific NRC.
- Shutdown duration
- 24 hours
- Affected districts
- Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching
- Disrupted services
- Markets, businesses, educational institutions, government offices and public transport
- Census status
- Census-2027 was deferred in Manipur
- Review meeting
- Chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi
- Main demand
- Update the National Register of Citizens before the Census
- Road blockades
- Bamboo poles and wooden equipment were placed on some roads, including at Yairipok
