Apprised Amit Shah of Manipur people's demand for NRC before census: Biren Singh

Key points

• The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registrar General had then informed the state government that the request was under…
• “I went to Delhi to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and met him yesterday after getting an appointment,” Singh said.
• Students demanding implementation of the NRC before the census staged a demonstration outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal…
• Hundreds of people in Imphal East and Imphal West additionally held a torch rally on August 16, calling for the…

Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and raised the residents’s demand for conducting the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before any census exercise in the state.

Singh, who returned to Imphal after a two-day visit to the national capital, said he additionally discussed the impact of economic blockades and counter-blockades. It have disrupted supplies of essential commodities and driven up prices.

“I went to Delhi to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and met him yesterday after getting an appointment,” Singh said. He added that Shah had assured him that the matters would be addressed soon.

Singh said he additionally apprised the Home Minister of the demand for an NRC. It his government had sought in February 2023, before ethnic violence erupted in the state.

What happened

According to Singh, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registrar General had then informed the state government that the request was under consideration. He said residents were not opposed to the census but wanted the NRC to be conducted first.

Students demanding implementation of the NRC before the census staged a demonstration outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal on Sunday. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

Hundreds of people in Imphal East and Imphal West additionally held a torch rally on August 16, calling for the NRC before any census activity to identify alleged illegal immigrants.

Singh said residents were concerned that the presence of alleged illegal immigrants had contributed to demographic changes in the state.

The details

He also stated there were 926 unrecognised villages according to government records and that residents had sought their recognition. Singh said Shah had heard their worries patiently and expressed hope for a positive response.

The former chief minister also appealed to residents not to resort to bandhs or violence out of frustration.

(With inputs from PTI)