During August and September 2026, civil society and student organisations in Manipur intensified demands for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be updated before the 2027 Census. On 17 August 2026, student groups protested outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal. Police used tear gas after protesters attempted to move towards the office. Shutdowns and road blockades were subsequently observed across parts of the Imphal Valley in support of the NRC demand. Following the protests and a high-level review chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the national government decided on 31 August 2026 to defer the Census exercise in Manipur.
Despite the deferment, a 24-hour general strike on 1 September disrupted markets, educational institutions and public transport across five valley districts, with road blockades reported in some areas. The Manipur assembly continued its demands for the updating of the NRC before the centre through a resolution adopted on 2 September 2026 and indicating on 7 September 2026 that 1951 should be used as the base year for NRC updating. Agitation by protesters continued with volunteers of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) locking several government officed. Police detained at least three volunteers and subsequently removed the locks. The State Government also warned of legal action against unlawful road blockades and highway obstructions, citing their impact on public movement and essential supplies.
The NRC is a register of Indian citizens, intended to distinguish citizens from persons without recognised Indian citizenship. Inclusion or exclusion can have implications for an individual’s ability to establish citizenship and exercise associated rights, including voting rights, subject to applicable legal procedures. The demand has gained renewed urgency in the context of the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur since May 2023, with concerns over undocumented migration, demographic changes and citizenship verification becoming more prominent amid displacement and the influx of people from Myanmar. The demand remains contested, with the ethnic minority’s Kuki-Zo Council opposing an NRC before the Census citing concerns of exclusion from voting rights if the exercise is conducted before the Census.
In this context, the suggestion of using 1951 as the baseline year for the NRC is very significant as it means only families who can prove they were settled in Manipur before 1951 would be eligible for inclusion. This could exclude many who migrated later for work, marriage, or displacement, even if they have lived in the state for decades. Vulnerable groups who may not have documentation from that period, minorities and displaced are thus at risk of being left out. Refugees from Myanmar are often described in the debate as “illegal migrants,” which raises humanitarian concerns. Families displaced by the ethnic violence since 2023 may also struggle to provide documents, and women and children are more likely to face gaps in records. Exclusion from the register would mean loss of voting rights, which in turn affects electoral rolls and constituency boundaries during delimitation. This could change the balance of representation between communities, intensify contestation over political power, and deepen ethnic exclusion and division.