JFD’s 48-hour general strike demanding NRC updation before the Census disrupted normal life across Manipur as protests, road blockades and political responses intensified.
Imphal, August 20: A 48-hour general strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) over its demand for updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census brought normal activities across large parts of Manipur’s valley districts to a standstill on August 18 and 19.
The JFD had called the shutdown to press for its demand that the NRC be updated before the Census and delimitation exercises are carried out in Manipur. The organisation has argued that citizenship identification must precede population enumeration, particularly amid concerns over alleged illegal immigration, demographic changes and the continuing displacement of people following the ethnic conflict that began in May 2023.
The strike began at midnight on August 17 and continued until midnight on August 19. Markets, shops, business establishments, offices and transport services remained largely closed in several areas, while roads in Imphal and other valley districts wore a deserted look. In Jiribam, civil society organisations, student bodies, Meira Paibis and local residents also blocked National Highway-37, disrupting movement along the Jiribam-Imphal route.
The shutdown came after weeks of protests and public mobilisation by the JFD and its student wing. The organisation had earlier held street-corner meetings, public awareness programmes and demonstrations calling for the NRC to be updated before the Census.
On August 5, JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba warned that the organisation would intensify its agitation if the government proceeded with the Census without first addressing the NRC demand. The organisation subsequently maintained that the Census should be deferred until the NRC issue was settled.
Protesters demand NRC before Census and delimitation
The JFD's central argument is that an updated NRC should form the basis for determining the state's population before Census data are used for subsequent exercises, including delimitation.
The organisation has repeatedly linked the NRC demand with concerns over alleged illegal immigration and demographic changes in Manipur. It has also maintained that the continuing displacement of people following the 2023 conflict should be addressed before population enumeration proceeds.
The JFD and affiliated groups have used the slogan “No NRC, No Census” during their demonstrations. Student protesters have additionally raised the demand that internally displaced people be allowed to return and resettle in their original places before the Census exercise.
The agitation intensified in the days leading up to the strike. JFD student volunteers disrupted Census-related training programmes for enumerators and supervisors at some locations, while students from schools and colleges took out rallies and formed human chains in Imphal.
Road blockades and clashes reported
Although the strike was largely peaceful in several areas, confrontations were reported at some protest sites.
In Imphal East, a group of women protesters gathered outside the Deputy Commissioner's office at Porompat and attempted to enter the office complex. Police personnel used smoke or riot grenades to disperse the protesters, during which a woman protester suffered an injury and was taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment. A woman police officer was also injured during the confrontation, according to EastMojo.
Imphal Times reported injuries to several women protesters in Porompat following the use of tear gas and mock bombs by security forces. Similar protests and attempts to block movement were reported from several locations in Imphal and the valley districts.
In Kakching, protesters gathered at markets and other locations and prevented vehicular movement. Similar shutdown activity was reported from areas including Uripok, Tiddim Road, Mayai Lambi, Sagolband, Khurai, Lamlai, Heingang, Thangmeiband, Canchipur and other parts of the valley.
On the second day of the strike, protesters also held rallies and burnt effigies of political leaders at some locations, further intensifying the agitation.
Government appeals for withdrawal of strike
The Manipur government appealed to the JFD to withdraw the general strike, while maintaining that it too supports the demand for implementation of the NRC.
At a press conference on August 18, government spokespersons Sapam Ranjan Singh and Thokchom Radheshyam Singh stated that the government was concerned about the NRC issue and demographic imbalance in the state.
Sapam Ranjan pointed to earlier steps taken by the state government, including resolutions passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on NRC updation in August 2022 and March 2024. He also referred to correspondence between the state government, the Union Home Ministry and the Registrar General of India concerning the issue.
The government also announced that a team of BJP legislators from Manipur would travel to New Delhi to raise the NRC demand with the Centre.
Sapam Ranjan urged the JFD to abandon the shutdown and pursue the issue through other democratic means, noting that the strike was affecting students, daily wage earners and other sections of the public.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh also backed implementation of the NRC while expressing opposition to bandh politics, according to EastMojo. He urged protesters to adopt alternative forms of democratic protest.
JFD announces next phase of agitation
The conclusion of the 48-hour strike has not ended the JFD's campaign.
On August 19, JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba announced that the organisation would boycott state and Central government offices from August 20. Health, education, electricity and water supply services were excluded from the proposed boycott, according to the organisation.
The JFD also called for torch rallies, public meetings and awareness programmes on the NRC, delimitation and Census. It urged local clubs and Meira Paibi groups to meet their respective MLAs and seek clarity on their positions concerning NRC updation.
The New Indian Express reported that the 48-hour strike had ended on Wednesday, but the JFD's government-office boycott was beginning on Thursday. The report also noted that the state government ordered all schools, colleges and universities to remain closed from August 20 to 22 citing the prevailing law-and-order situation.
Census process faces continued opposition
The agitation has unfolded alongside preparations for Census-related activities in Manipur. Protesters have opposed the exercise unless the NRC is first updated, while some JFD-linked groups have urged Census personnel and trainees to stay away from the process.
The JFD's campaign has also gained support from organisations outside the valley. The United Naga Council has reiterated that Census and delimitation should not be conducted in Manipur before implementation of the NRC. On August 20, a 10-member delegation representing different communities and organisations left for New Delhi to press the demand before Union ministers and other Central authorities.
For the JFD, the issue is therefore not limited to the timing of the Census. It has connected the NRC demand with citizenship verification, demographic concerns and the future delimitation of constituencies in Manipur.
The government, meanwhile, has maintained that it supports the NRC demand and is pursuing the matter with the Centre, while appealing to civil society groups to avoid shutdowns that disrupt public life.
The immediate phase of the JFD's 48-hour strike has ended, but its subsequent government-office boycott and planned protests indicate that the NRC-before-Census campaign is set to continue.
