Hundreds protest in Imphal, demand NRC check before upcoming census

Hundreds of people, mostly women , staged a protest in Imphal on Wednesday, demanding the identification of illegal immigrants through the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or any other exercise before the upcoming census in Manipur , police said.

The protest turned tense when demonstrators attempted to march outside the Khwairamband market , one of the largest women-run markets in the country. A scuffle ensued with security personnel, prompting the police to fire several rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowd, a senior officer said. Six people were injured during the confrontation.

During the march, protesters carried placards reading "Identify outsiders" and raised slogans like "No NRC, No Census" . Security forces stopped them from moving beyond the market area. "When they tried to breach police barricades, security personnel fired tear gas to control the situation," the officer added.

In a related development, volunteers of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) locked the office door of the State Academy of Training at Takyel in Imphal West district . The volunteers claimed that census-related training was underway and demanded that displaced persons be allowed to return to their original homes before the census is conducted.

Earlier this year, the Manipur government froze the administrative boundaries of all districts, tehsils, and villages from January 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027 , to facilitate a smooth census exercise.

The protests underscore ongoing local concerns over population data accuracy and immigration status verification ahead of the state’s census, reflecting broader tensions in the region over demographic changes.