The agitation against the government’s decision to proceed with the Census without first undertaking the National Register of Citizens (NRC) gathered significant momentum today, as thousands of women vendors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel shut their shops and staged protest demonstration, demanding that illegal immigrants be detected before the Census exercise begins.
A protest rally by a large number of womenfolk was also staged at Tiddim Road till Keishampat today afternoon demanding NRC before census.
In Kakching district, a large number of womenfolk and the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) members thronged to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kakching and submitted a memorandum demanding the postponement of the census scheduled today.
Meanwhile, Convenor of the JFD Jeetendra Ningombam today declared a 2-day (48 hours) general strike from midnight today in protest against the census exercise which begins today despite the protest by JFD and various civil society bodies.
The mass protest at Khwairamband Keithel came amid mounting anger over the handling of protests by students and civil society groups. Police action against students who were demonstrating at Porompat yesterday reportedly intensified public resentment, with women and youths joining the streets later in the evening in support of the demand for an NRC before the Census.
Today, the usually bustling Khwairamband Keithel wore a different look as women vendors downed shutters and suspended business to participate in the protest. The demonstrators displayed banners carrying the messages “No NRC, No Census” and “No IDP Settlement, No Census”, making it clear that the demand was not against the Census itself but against conducting the exercise without first addressing the issues of illegal immigration and internally displaced persons.
The protest was organised by the various Ima Keithel organisations of Khwairamband Keithel. A representative of the women vendors said the decision to stage the demonstration was taken collectively by the Ima Keithel organisations in response to what they described as serious concerns surrounding the proposed Census exercise.
Speaking to the media, she said the women vendors were deeply concerned about the implications of conducting the Census while thousands of indigenous people remain displaced from their homes and continue to live in relief camps, rented accommodation or with relatives.
She questioned the basis of carrying out an accurate Census when a substantial section of the population has been displaced for more than three years and when concerns over the presence of illegal immigrants have yet to be addressed.
The representative made it clear that the women vendors were not opposed to the Census as an exercise.
“We have no problem with the Census,” she said, maintaining that the government should first conduct the NRC and identify illegal immigrants before commencing the Census.
The demand comes against the backdrop of the ongoing Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), which has been insisting that the NRC must precede the Census to establish who are genuine residents and citizens and who may have entered the state illegally.
The JFD has maintained that conducting the Census without first addressing illegal immigration could have far-reaching consequences for Manipur, particularly in determining the demographic composition of the state and its future political representation.
The “No NRC, No Census” campaign has consequently emerged as a major point of contention, with protests spreading to different sections of society. The participation of the women vendors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel, one of the most prominent symbols of women’s economic and social participation in Manipur, gives the agitation an added dimension.
The women also raised concerns over the future of internally displaced persons, many of whom have remained away from their homes since the outbreak of the conflict. They argued that any Census conducted without adequately accounting for displaced families could leave serious questions over the accuracy and fairness of the enumeration process.
The protesters further opposed any move to settle IDPs permanently outside their original places of residence, reflected in their second demand, “No IDP Settlement, No Census.”
Also, members of the Justice and Fair Delimitation (JFD) Student Wing on Monday attempted to disrupt a Census operations training programme at the DM University of Teacher Education campus in Imphal, opposing the commencement of the Census exercise without an update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Security forces intervened to prevent the protesters from entering and disrupting the training, leading to a tense situation on the campus.
The protest followed a demonstration by the student wing outside the Directorate of Census Operations, Manipur, in Imphal East, on Sunday.
The protesters raised slogans of “No NRC, No Census” and demanded that the Census operation be deferred until the NRC updating process is completed.
The JFD Student Wing said it would continue its agitation until the authorities address its demand.