‘No census amid chaos’: Tense standoff in Imphal East district

Imphal: Protesters under the banner of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) attempted to storm the Directorate of Census Operations at Porompat in Imphal East district on Tuesday demanding deferment of the upcoming census in Manipur due to the prevailing law and order situation.Marchers from Soibam Leikai, Nongmeibung, and Kongpal converged at Porompat around noon, chanting slogans against the census. They insisted that enumeration should be postponed until illegal immigrants are identified and normalcy is restored.Security forces comprising state and central personnel blocked the protesters at Porompat crossing and Kongal Iranpham, leading to a tense standoff. Later, a delegation of 18 JFD representatives met Census Directorate officials to press their demands.

JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba told reporters that displacement and ethnic tensions make it impossible to conduct a fair census. He said the conflict between Meitei and Kuki communities is yet to be resolved, and there are emerging tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities. “Besides, there are thousands displaced from their original homes. Conducting census in such a situation will not only be infeasible but problematic,” he added.

The rally concluded peacefully after the meeting, with JFD reiterating its demand that census operations be deferred until mechanisms like the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are implemented, displaced populations resettled, and peace restored.On Monday, dozens of women had also attempted to march to the Manipur legislative assembly during its session, pressing for deferment of the census, but were stopped by security forces.Meanwhile, the United Naga Council (UNC) has urged the state government to postpone the census, citing illegal immigration, breakdown of public order, and the unresolved district rollback issue. In a letter to chief minister Yumnam Khemchand, the UNC warned that conducting census amid ethnic conflict and displacement would yield unreliable data and risk inflaming tensions.The census is scheduled to begin on April 1, marking the start of the long-delayed enumeration process. Conducted by the office of the registrar general & census commissioner under the ministry of home affairs, the exercise will roll out in phases — starting with house listing and housing census, followed by population enumeration. This will be India’s first census since 2011, as the 2021 round was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.