IT Correspondent
Guwahati, July 31:
A national-level lecture and civil society consultation entitled “The Question of Inclusion: Citizens, Census and Demography” was held yesterday, 30 July 2026, in Guwahati, bringing together more than 50 participants from across India, including the North East. The consultation was organised by People’s Census Watch in collaboration with Axom Nagarik Samaj, Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD)-Manipur, and Human Rights Alert (HRA).
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. GN Devy, distinguished scholar and public intellectual, observed that the present census in India is being undertaken solely for the purpose of carrying out delimitation, which, according to him, could trigger major political upheaval and potentially render hundreds of thousands of people stateless. He advocated for an inclusive 2027 Census that would resist manipulation by majoritarian forces.
During the pre-lunch interaction session, Sanjoy Borbora of the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS), Assam, highlighted the impact of extensive militarisation on the conduct of the census in the North East. He stressed the need to ensure that the 2027 Census is conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner.
Ashang Kasar, Convenor of the Native People’s Committee, Manipur, presented data indicating an increase in the Kuki population from 41,262 in 1901 to 4,48,214 in 2011, representing a 986.3% increase. He attributed this increase to what he described as illegal immigration from Burma (Myanmar) and elsewhere. He strongly advocated for the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur before the conduct of the 2027 Census or any future delimitation exercise.
Social activist Santa Nahakpam expressed concern over the growing demographic imbalance in Manipur, which he accredited to illegal immigration resulting from the prolonged crisis in Burma (Myanmar). He also referred to the publication of the book Influx of Migrants into Manipur – A Threat to the Indigenous Ethnic People, published by the United Committee Manipur (UCM) in 2005 following extensive research on perceived anomalies in Manipur’s census records.
Jeetendra Ningomba, Convenor of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD)-Manipur, spoke extensively on the large-scale displacement and dislocation of people following the 3 May 2023 Manipur Crisis. He expressed concern that the 2027 Census could result in the inclusion of persons whom he described as non-indigenous inhabitants of Manipur. He warned that conducting the census before updating the NRC could trigger widespread public unrest in the state. He also outlined the ongoing public campaign across Manipur advocating for the updating of the NRC prior to the census.
The post-lunch session was moderated by Babloo Loitongbam, Executive Director of Human Rights Alert (HRA). During the session, Prof. RK Narendra (Retd.), a noted demographer from Manipur, stated that carrying out delimitation in Manipur on the basis of the 2027 Census, without first updating the NRC, could have far-reaching consequences for the state’s political landscape.
He also highlighted data showing that Manipur Assembly seats were being shifted from unreserved to reserved seats. During the deliberations, he pointed out the danger of carrying out delimitation solely on the basis of population. He proposed three alternative models for calculating the entitlement of Assembly seats.
MC Meetei, Convenor of the People’s Progressive Alliance Manipur (PPAM), outlined what he described as the present demographic imbalance in Manipur, attributing it to long-term demographic engineering since 1949. He further argued that these developments had ultimately culminated in what he described as a structurally engineered proxy war aimed at undermining the indigenous peoples’ assertion of their rights.
Representing Nagaland, Prof. Dolly Kikon of the University of California, Santa Cruz, highlighted the differing perspectives on conducting a census in a heavily militarised region such as Nagaland compared with mainland India. Mrs. Agnes Kharshiing, a prominent human rights defender from Meghalaya, expressed concern that marginalised communities in Meghalaya might be excluded during the 2027 Census exercise.
At the conclusion of the consultation, the participants unanimously resolved to hold the next civil society consultation in Manipur.