Manipur: Two-day strike over NRC demand cripples normal life in valley districts

Normal life was disrupted in the five valley districts of Manipur on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the first day of a two-day strike called by the Campaign for Just and Free Delimitation (JFD) demanding implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the census. Markets and educational institutions remained closed, and public transport stayed off the roads.

The strike, which began at midnight on August 18, affected Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur districts. Government offices saw thin attendance, while only a few private vehicles plied on the roads. The hill districts, including Churachandpur, remained unaffected.

Protesters enforced the shutdown by blocking roads with bamboo poles and stone boulders in several parts of the valley. At Kongba bazaar in Imphal East, vegetable vendors were asked to pack up their wares. In Athokpam in Thoubal district, demonstrators burnt tyres on the roads and raised slogans such as "No NRC, No Census".

The stir comes at a time when the self-enumeration phase of Census 2027 was scheduled to begin on August 17, with the main house-listing operation planned from September 1 to September 30. Students' organisations and other groups have been pressing the government to complete the NRC exercise before any census activity, saying it is necessary to identify undocumented immigrants in the state.

Tensions had escalated earlier. On August 16, students staged a demonstration outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal, which the police dispersed with tear gas shells. On the same evening, hundreds of protesters in Imphal East and Imphal West districts held a torch rally demanding the NRC before the census.

The demand for the NRC in Manipur has been a contentious issue. The NRC, a register of Indian citizens, was first implemented in Assam in 2019. In Manipur, several organisations have argued that a similar exercise is needed to identify people who have entered the state without proper documents. However, the move has faced opposition from groups worried about the criteria for inclusion and the potential impact on communities.

The JFD, a students' organisation, has been at the forefront of the demand for a just and free delimitation exercise in Manipur. The group has linked the delimitation to the NRC, arguing that the census and the electoral boundary redrawing must be based on an accurate count of citizens. The JFD has said the strike is meant to press the Union government to ensure that the NRC is updated before the census enumeration, so that the demographic data accurately reflects the citizen population.

The strike is significant as it comes just before the house-listing phase of the census, which will pave the way for the final population count. The JFD and other organisations have argued that conducting the census without an updated NRC would legitimise the presence of non-citizens and skew demographic data. They have also demanded that the Union government announce a clear timeline for the NRC in Manipur.

Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the strike or the demands. The strike is scheduled to continue until Wednesday, August 19, and its impact will be crucial in shaping the discourse around the NRC and census in the state.