The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) has warned of intensifying its agitation across Manipur if the State Government proceeds with the proposed Census without first updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify and remove illegal immigrants residing in the state.
The warning was issued by JFD Convenor Jeetendra Ningomba during a public awareness programme held at Thoubal Keithel on Wednesday. The programme, organised jointly by Thoubal Keithel Phambi Mathak Makha Apunba, the Meitei Community Joint Coordinating Committee, 18 Clubs and the JFD, sought to mobilise public support for the demand that the Census should be conducted only after completion of the NRC update.
Addressing the gathering, Jeetendra Ningomba said the Manipur Government had reportedly decided to undertake the Census despite the absence of an updated NRC to identify illegal immigrants who, according to the organisation, have settled in different parts of the state. He said the JFD had fixed August 6 as the deadline for the government to clarify its stand on the issue.
“If no response is received from the government within the stipulated period, the JFD will announce the next course of democratic agitation,” he said, while appealing to people across Manipur to extend support to the movement launched by the JFD Task Force.
Ningomba asserted that updating the NRC before conducting the Census is essential to ensure the credibility of population data and to safeguard the political and constitutional rights of the indigenous people of the state. Conducting the Census without first identifying illegal immigrants, he alleged, would legitimise the presence of undocumented settlers and adversely affect the future demographic and electoral landscape of Manipur.
Referring to the ongoing ethnic conflict, the JFD convenor claimed that the crisis should not merely be viewed as a conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities. Instead, he alleged that it was a struggle between those committed to preserving Manipur’s territorial integrity and forces attempting to fragment the state.
He further alleged that while not all members of the Kuki community support the violence, armed “narco-terrorist” groups that had allegedly entered from across the international border had established bases in the hill areas. According to him, these groups cleared forest land for large-scale poppy cultivation and used the proceeds to procure sophisticated weapons, which were then used in attacks against indigenous communities while pursuing the demand for a separate administration.
Ningomba also questioned the government’s decision to begin the Census from August 17 while, according to him, the process of identifying and verifying illegal immigrants remains incomplete. He argued that launching the Census under such circumstances would defeat the long-standing demand for the detection of undocumented migrants and could have far-reaching consequences for the state’s future.
He urged the government to first complete the NRC update and identify illegal immigrants before commencing the Census exercise. Failing this, he warned, the JFD would intensify its democratic movement with a series of stronger agitations across the state.
The awareness programme was attended by local residents, representatives of various civil society organisations and volunteers supporting the campaign.