The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has opposed demands for conducting the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur before the Census, terming such a demand “premature and unjustified”.
In a statement, the KZC welcomed the decennial Census initiated by the Central Government, stating that an impartial enumeration was necessary to establish verified demographic data.
“Given the falsehoods and propaganda surrounding our population and demographic status during the Manipur conflict, an impartial Census is essential to establish facts and dispel unfounded claims,” the council said.
The KZC also welcomed the proposed delimitation exercise, maintaining that political representation should be based on verified demographic data.
On the demand for an NRC before the Census, the council said the NRC is a national exercise and that its timing and implementation cannot be unilaterally determined by any community or the state government.
It questioned the basis of demands for an NRC before Census 2027, saying they were largely driven by what it described as “unsubstantiated allegations and speculation” concerning the Kuki-Zo community. The council said demographic concerns should first be examined through credible and verified data, with the Census providing the appropriate basis for assessing population figures and demographic trends.
“Demanding an NRC before the completion and publication of Census 2027 results is premature and unjustified,” it stated.
Citing Assam, the KZC said the NRC process involved considerable legal and administrative complexities, with around 19 lakh people excluded from the final list and several cases remaining under legal scrutiny.
The statement comes amid an intensified “NRC before Census” campaign in Manipur, led by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) and several valley-based civil society organisations. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has publicly supported the demand, while NDA legislators and civil society representatives have also approached the Centre over the issue.
The agitation has included a 48-hour statewide strike, road blockades, office-locking drives, torch rallies and student protests. Three demonstrators were also reportedly injured in police action during a protest outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal East.
The KZC urged stakeholders to allow the Census to proceed without obstruction and respect the Central Government’s authority over the NRC process.
