United Naga Council reiterates its demand for NRC before Census and delimitation in Manipur, seeking 1951 as the base year and village verification.
Imphal, Aug 18: The United Naga Council (UNC) has reiterated its demand that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) must be implemented in Manipur before any Census or delimitation exercise is undertaken in the state.
In a press release issued on August 18, the UNC maintained that neither the Census nor the delimitation of Assembly constituencies should proceed until an NRC is completed and a verified database of indigenous people and bona-fide citizens is established.
The council pointed to a Joint Memorandum submitted on May 3, 2024, to the Prime Minister through the Governor of Manipur by the UNC and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), stating that the demand had already been clearly articulated in the memorandum.
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The UNC expressed concern over what it described as the unchecked influx of illegal immigrants into Manipur from neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as from other regions. According to the council, such migration over the decades has contributed to demographic changes and ethnic tensions while posing risks to the identity, land, natural resources and socio-political rights of indigenous communities.
The council also referred to what it termed an “abnormal increase” in recognised and unrecognised villages in certain districts, citing government records covering the 1950–69 period and the 2011 Census.
The UNC claimed that the growth in the number of villages and the presence of unrecognised settlements indicated what it described as demographic invasion. It also alleged that attempts had been made by some illegal settlers to claim exclusive areas and territory in association with “disruptive forces”.
The UNC called for the immediate implementation of an NRC in Manipur using 1951 as the base year. It stated that the exercise should be used to identify illegal immigrants and facilitate their deportation.
The council also demanded that the Census not be conducted in Manipur until the NRC process is completed. It argued that a verified database of indigenous people and bona-fide citizens was necessary for what it described as a fair and just Census.
On delimitation, the UNC opposed any exercise to redraw Assembly constituencies before completion of the NRC. It argued that delimitation based on population figures affected by what it considers demographic distortion could disadvantage indigenous communities.
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The council further demanded an immediate halt to what it described as the random recognition of villages without proper verification. It called for a fixed cut-off or base year to verify existing villages and for the de-recognition of what it described as illegal or “fake” villages.
The UNC concluded by asserting that NRC must precede both Census and delimitation in Manipur. It urged the Government of India and the Manipur government to consider and implement its demands, describing them as necessary to protect the identity, rights, land and future of indigenous people in the state.
