Demonstrators gather at Khwairamband Keithel, clash with security forces while demanding NRC before census.
Imphal: At least seven people, including six women, were injured after security forces fired tear gas shells and mock bombs during a protest against the census exercise in Imphal on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at Khwairamband Keithel, the main market area of the city, where hundreds of people gathered under the banner of the Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) to demand the implementation of a proper NRC before conducting the census in Manipur.
Protesters raised slogans and carried placards reading “No NRC, No Census”, “No Free Movement, No Census”, and “Resolve Present Crisis First, Census After”. The demonstrators attempted to march towards the Manipur Legislative Assembly while the Assembly session was in progress, prompting heavy security deployment in the area.
Authorities later sealed parts of the market area and restricted vehicle movement as tensions escalated. Security personnel intervened to disperse the crowd, leading to clashes in which several protesters were injured.
The protesters demanded that illegal immigrants be identified before the census begins, warning that failure to do so could allow undocumented migrants to be counted as citizens.
During the Assembly session, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh informed the House that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) would be carried out before the census exercise.
Meanwhile, Congress Legislative Party leader K Meghachandra raised concerns over conducting the census amid the ongoing crisis in the state, pointing out that thousands of families are still living in relief camps and that free movement between communities remains restricted.
State Home Minister K Govindas said the government has already formed a committee to identify illegal immigrants and has begun collecting biometric data as part of the process.
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