The Joint Tribes Council Manipur (JTCM) has demanded that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be implemented in Manipur before the Census and delimitation exercises, citing concerns over alleged demographic changes in the state.
In a press release issued on August 19, the tribal body claimed that continued movement of people across the international border could affect the identity, land resources and political rights of indigenous communities.
The JTCM urged the Centre and the Manipur government to conduct the NRC using 1951 as the base year to verify bona fide citizens and identify alleged illegal immigrants.
It also called for the Census to be deferred until the NRC process is completed, arguing that population data should be based on a verified citizen population. The organisation similarly demanded that delimitation be undertaken only after the NRC.
The council further sought the de-recognition of settlements recognised as villages without meeting the criteria prescribed under state law.
The JTCM maintained that the NRC, Census and delimitation were interconnected and that a verified citizenship register should precede population and electoral exercises.
It warned that if the government proceeded with the Census despite its objections, it would launch agitations, including bandhs, rallies and sit-in protests.
The organisation urged the Centre and the Manipur government to take steps to safeguard what it described as the identity, land rights and political interests of the state’s indigenous communities.
