A large number of students from the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) Students’ Wing staged a protest rally in Imphal today, intensifying the demands for implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur before the Census.
The rally commenced at THAU Ground, Thangmeiband, with students holding placards and banner with slogans like ‘NRC Updation Before Census’ and ‘No NRC, No Census’. The protesting students, many of them wearing their school uniforms, marched towards the Chief Minister’s bungalow.
The rally was obstructed by the police at Khuyathong. After the intervention, a ten member students’ delegation was permitted to move towards the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to meet Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
The students’ delegation, comprising members from 10 schools and colleges, requested the Chief Minister to impress upon the Center for conducting the NRC in Manipur before the Census. They also demanded identification of illegal immigrants through NRC before conducting the Census.
They further requested the Chief Minister to resume education institutions and demanded that the NRC issue should be discussed during the next legislative session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Yumnam Khemchand Singh assured the delegation that the state government would bring the issue of NRC implementation in Manipur for discussion during the upcoming legislative assembly session that will commence from September 2.
He also assured the delegation that the state government will support the NRC in Manipur while stressing that conducting the NRC and implementation of the NRC without errors is an important concern.
Commissioner of Education Ningthoujam Geoffrey and Director of Education (Schools) Ng. Bhogendra Meitei also attended the meeting.
The student delegation comprises members from DM College of Science, Manipur College, CC Higher Secondary School, Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Nambol Higher Secondary School, T.G. Higher Secondary School, Ibotonsana Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Ram Lal Paul School, Model Higher Secondary School and Ananda Singh Higher Secondary School.
