UKHRUL, AUG 19: The United Naga Council (UNC) and the Chandel Naga People’s Organisation (CNPO) have reiterated their demand that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be implemented in Manipur before the Census and delimitation exercises are conducted.
The UNC, in a statement issued on August 18, said there should be “no Census, no Delimitation” in Manipur until the NRC is implemented. It said the demand was also part of a joint memorandum submitted by the UNC and COCOMI to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Governor of Manipur on May 3, 2024.
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The council expressed concern over what it described as the “unchecked and continuous influx of illegal immigrants” into Manipur from neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as other regions. The UNC claimed that such influx had caused demographic changes and posed a threat to the identity, land, natural resources and socio-political rights of the State’s indigenous peoples.
The UNC also pointed to what it described as an abnormal increase in recognised and unrecognised villages in certain districts, citing government records from 1950-69 and the 2011 Census. It termed the growth of unrecognised villages evidence of what it called “demographic invasion” and raised concerns over attempts by some groups of settlers to claim areas and territory.
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The Naga apex body in Manipur demanded implementation of the NRC with 1951 as the base year, saying it should be used to verify bona fide citizens and identify illegal immigrants. It also demanded that the Census be deferred until the NRC process is completed and a verified database of indigenous peoples and bona fide citizens is established.
On delimitation, the UNC said Assembly constituencies should not be redrawn before completion of the NRC, arguing that delimitation based on what it described as distorted population figures would be unjust to indigenous communities. It also called for an end to what it termed random recognition of villages without verification and demanded a cut-off or base year for verifying existing villages and de-recognising illegal and fake villages.
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Meanwhile, the Chandel Naga People’s Organisation (CNPO), in a statement issued on August 19, also demanded that the NRC precede the Census and delimitation in Manipur.
Under the headline “No NRC, No Census, No Delimitation,” the CNPO said Manipur is the ancestral homeland of indigenous communities whose identities, customary institutions, land rights and settlements have evolved over generations.
The CNPO said unchecked cross-border influx and unverified settlements threatened what it described as the demographic balance of the State and had serious implications for land, resources, representation and indigenous rights.
The organisation demanded that the NRC be implemented with 1951 as the base year, that the Census be deferred until completion of the NRC, and that delimitation be conducted only after the NRC. It also called for a review of unauthorised settlements that had been granted village status without fulfilling prescribed legal requirements.
The CNPO said citizenship must first be verified, followed by population enumeration and determination of representation. It maintained that the Census should reflect a verified demographic reality and should not legitimise undocumented migration or unauthorised settlement.
The organisation reiterated its position: “No NRC — No Census” and “No verified citizenship — No delimitation.” It urged the governments of India and Manipur to act to safeguard what it described as the identity, ancestral land, demographic integrity, customary rights and political voice of Manipur’s indigenous peoples.
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