Manipur: Protest against Census in Imphal turns tense, five protesters injured

People from across Manipur, under the banner of the Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), staged a protest against the ongoing census process in the state. The demonstration took place at Ima Market in Imphal, where protesters voiced their opposition to the exercise.

The situation turned tense when police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, in which five protestors were reportedly injured.

Naorem Wangamba, Assistant Secretary (Organisation) of the JFD, stated that the organisation is demanding a "Just and Fair Census" coupled with a transparent delimitation process. He emphasised the JFD's demand to defer the ongoing census until illegal immigrants are properly identified, using 1951 as the base cut-off year.

Wangamba warned that if the census proceeds without segregating illegal immigrants, there is a risk they could be legalised as bona fide Indian citizens, a move he claimed would violate both the truth and the Constitution.

Furthermore, he noted that the organisation had already submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister on December 15, 2025, urging the Centre to postpone the census in Manipur until illegal immigrants are detected and the state's ongoing conflict is resolved.

In line with these demands, the JFD has called for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be updated before any census is conducted.

Earlier on March 6, the Central Village Defence Force (CVDF) organised a road march in Churachandpur in protest over the death of BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte and other victims of the ethnic violence in Manipur.

Vungzagin Valte, the former BJP MLA from Thanlon, passed away on February 20th after succumbing to his injuries following a brutal assault by a mob during the ethnic violence in the state in May 2023.

The protestors demanded justice for all the innocent lives claimed in the violence that broke out in 2023 between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities.