Census Deferred In Manipur After Protest Over NRC Demand

Last Updated:August 31, 2026, 7:18 PM IST

The decision came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi today to assess the current situation in the state.

Students take part in a rally organised by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation in Imphal, Manipur, on August 17, 2026. (IMAGE: PTI)

In a significant development, the Union Government on Monday deferred the Census exercise in Manipur. The decision came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi today to assess the current situation in the state.

The meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs was attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, along with other senior officials. The meeting discussed in detail on the demand raised by the people of Manipur to defer the Census exercise in the State before the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The meeting agreed to defer the proposed Census exercise in the State considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur, as per a press note by the Manipur government.

Following the meeting, CM Singh expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and other central leaders for listening to the voices of the people and fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the State.

He also appreciated the efforts of the leaders of 14 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the delegation of BJP MLAs, who had recently campaigned in New Delhi for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur. The Chief Minister said that their regular engagement with central leaders and officials has resulted in today’s decision.

CM Singh said that calling bandhs and general strikes will not help in pressing demands before the Government and added that such actions would cause more hardship to the common people. Instead, he urged civil society groups to continue dialogue and extend full cooperation to the administration in addressing the socio-political challenges of the State.

Earlier this month, a major protest took place in Manipur, with protesters demanding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census.

Protesters said an NRC exercise should be completed in Manipur before the Census to identify people they allege are illegal immigrants.

Protesters argue that conducting the Census before an NRC exercise could make it difficult to distinguish between long-term residents, indigenous populations and people who they allege entered Manipur illegally from neighbouring countries.

The self-enumeration phase of Census 2027 began in Manipur on August 17. The main house-listing exercise was scheduled to take place from September 1 to September 30.

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The Union Government has deferred the Census exercise in Manipur after protests demanding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) first. The decision was made after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the situation and consider the aspirations of the people of Manipur.

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Saurabh VermaChief Sub-Editor

Saurabh Verma is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, specializing in Indian politics, national current affairs, and breaking global news. With years of experience tracking power shifts, election strateg…Read More

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