Centre Defers Manipur Census Amid NRC Pressure from Civil Society Groups
· India · The Hindu, Zee News
The Centre has deferred Census operations in Manipur, originally scheduled to begin on September 1, following a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on August 31. The meeting, attended by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and other officials, agreed to delay the exercise 'considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur.' The deferral responds to a demand from Meitei, Pangal (Meitei Muslim), and Naga communities to update the National Register of Citizens before conducting the Census. The Manipur High Court, in a special Bench led by Chief Justice M. Sundar, separately directed that the Census remain on hold until further orders after hearing two petitions, including one from the Kangleipak organisation. CM Singh also appealed against shutdowns and general strikes as a means of pressing demands, urging civil society groups to continue dialogue with the adminis
Why it matters
The deferral hands a tactical win to Manipur's civil society groups and 14 organisations that lobbied in Delhi for an NRC-first approach, but it deepens uncertainty over the state's ethnic demographics and could delay the rollout of welfare and delimitation measures tied to Census data.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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