Imphal, September 7 (Daily Kiran) : Manipur’s Home Minister, Govindas Konthoujam Singh, announced on September 7 that the state intends to use 1951 as the base year for the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This decision comes as the state government prepares to engage with the central government based on resolutions passed by the state assembly.
The Home Minister’s remarks followed questions from opposition Congress legislator Keshom Meghchandra Singh regarding updates to the NRC in Manipur and the original physical records from 1951. Singh confirmed that efforts are underway to locate the records from that year.
He emphasized that the state government cannot implement the NRC independently without approval from the central government. Furthermore, he noted that a population commission for Manipur has already been established, as per a resolution passed by the assembly on August 5, 2022.
Singh cautioned that the NRC issue should not be taken lightly. While the NRC has been implemented in Assam, its details remain undisclosed due to ongoing legal proceedings. The state government has urged the central government to proceed with the NRC’s implementation in Manipur.
On March 1, 2024, the state government reached out to the central government again, reaffirming its previous proposal. On September 2, 2026, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution confirming its earlier decisions. Singh stressed the importance of careful communication with the central government to avoid a repeat of failures seen in Assam.
This announcement comes amid large-scale protests led by various civil society organizations in the Imphal valley, particularly in the districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching. These groups are advocating for updates to the NRC before the 2027 national census.
Since August 17, the Citizens for Justice and Fair Delimitation (CJFD) and other organizations have been mobilizing in the region, demanding that the NRC be updated prior to the census. Just a day before the scheduled census, the central government announced on August 31 the postponement of the 2027 census in Manipur, a decision influenced by ongoing protests from civil society groups.
In a related development, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), representing the Kuki-Zo tribal community in Manipur, has strongly opposed calls to update the NRC before the 2027 census. KZC spokesperson Ginza Vualzong argued that there is no constitutional provision for conducting the NRC in a specific state, asserting that the NRC is a national process established under the Assam Accord of 1985. He described any attempts to implement the NRC solely in Manipur as discriminatory and unconstitutional.
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