Kuki-Zo Council Says NRC Timing Is For Union Govt To Decide, Backs Census
New Delhi: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in Manipur on Sunday (August 23) opposed Meitei civil society organisations' demand that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be implemented before the population census scheduled for 2027, calling it "premature and unjustified".
The development comes days after an 48-hour long agitation by the Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) student wing and other Meitei bodies, who have been calling for a stop to all census-related activities until “illegal immigrants” are identified, taking 1951 as the base year. Meitei groups claim the NRC is pivotal to reach a permanent solution to the ethnic conflict ravaging the state since 2023.
Meanwhile, several Kuki-Zo groups have expressed concerns about the potential misuse of NRC to target vulnerable communities.
The KZC, while emphasising the NRC as an exercise solely under the Ujion government's purview, in which no Manipur-based group could determine timing and implementation, said an impartial census was essential to establish facts and dispel falsities surrounding the Kuki population and their demographic status that were spread during the conflict.
"Given the falsehoods and propaganda surrounding our population and demographic status during the Manipur conflict, an impartial census is essential to establish facts and dispel unfounded claims," the statement, signed by KZC department secretary Ginza Vualzong, read.
Press Release by Kuki-Zo Council on August 23, 2026. Photo: Facebook/Ruangmei Today.
The organisation also welcomed the delimitation exercise, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a means to ensure fair representation based on verified demographic data.
The statement said there was no provision for any community or state to "unilaterally initiate or conduct a separate NRC in a particular state at its own discretion". It added that the demand for NRC before the census was based on "unsubstantial allegations and speculations" and that the population census was a more reliable source for demographic data.
The organisation cited the NRC exercise conducted in Assam in accordance to the Assam Accord of 1985, saying it ended up excluding around 19 lakh people from the final list, leaving them trapped within legal and administrative appeals before foreign tribunals.
"Those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur should first consider its complexity, implications and consequences," the statement said. It appealed to all concerned to permit the census to continue as planned and to refrain from weaponising demographic issues as "communal propaganda or victimisation".
Meanwhile, on August 20, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand assured the student representatives who are demanding the NRC before Census 2027 that the government supports "effort-free" implementation of the NRC in the state and that the matter will be taken up in the state Assembly session beginning on September 2.
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