Meitei, Naga Groups Seek Tripartite Talks on 1951 NRC Before Manipur Census 2027

A group of 14 civil society organisations representing Meitei, Naga and other communities in Manipur has sought tripartite talks with the Centre and the Manipur government over its demand for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) based on 1951 records before Census 2027 and any subsequent delimitation exercise in the state.

The demand comes days before the first phase of Census 2027 is scheduled to begin in Manipur on September 1, amid growing differences between communities over the proposed sequencing of an NRC and the Census. The organisations want the Census exercise deferred and citizenship verification completed first, arguing that fresh population figures could influence future delimitation and political representation.

The delegation includes representatives of Meiteis, Pangals or Meitei Muslims, Kom and Rongmei Naga tribes, besides representatives of people displaced during the ethnic violence that began between the Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3, 2023. The groups said they submitted representations to the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs and Registrar General of India, and also met MHA officials, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP president Nitin Nabin.

The organisations argue that 1951 should be the reference year because Manipur's first post-Independence Census and NRC exercise took place that year, following the abolition of the erstwhile entry-and-exit permit system in 1950. They contend that subsequent migration, particularly across the porous India-Myanmar border, has affected the state's demographic profile. The groups have also sought safeguards against using Census figures for delimitation until citizenship verification is completed.

The NRC demand predates the present conflict. The Manipur Legislative Assembly adopted resolutions in 2022 and 2024 seeking an NRC, while the issue has also been linked to longstanding demands for protection of indigenous interests and the state's Inner Line Permit framework.

The latest campaign has intensified through rallies and protests. A 48-hour shutdown last week over the “NRC first, Census later” demand disrupted normal life and affected Census-related activities in parts of Manipur. Earlier, 14 organisations had also held a public rally demanding postponement of the Census, citing concerns over the credibility of enumeration while thousands remain displaced by the conflict.

However, the demand has faced strong opposition from the Kuki-Zo Council, which has called an NRC before the Census “premature and unjustified”. The council argues that an impartial Census should first establish reliable demographic facts and has warned against using demographic issues for communal mobilisation. It has also cited the complexity of the Assam NRC, in which around 19 lakh people were excluded from the final list and subsequent legal and administrative proceedings followed.

The dispute comes as Manipur prepares for the House Listing and Housing Census from September 1 to 30, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027. The immediate challenge for the Centre is to balance the statutory Census schedule with competing demands over citizenship, migration and representation.