The United Naga Council (UNC) hereby reiterates its stance that no Census, and no Delimitation exercise shall be conducted in the State of Manipur before the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This stand was clearly stated in the Joint Memorandum dated May 3, 2024 submitted to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India through the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur by the United Naga Council and COCOMI.
The press release of UNC stated that “UNC is deeply concerned with the unchecked and continuous influx of illegal immigrants into the State of Manipur from neighboring countries including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and other regions. This influx over the decades has caused severe demographic distortion and ethnic conflict in the state and poses a direct threat to the identity, land, natural resources and the socio-political rights of the indigenous peoples of Manipur.
“The UNC draws the attention of the Government to the abnormal increase of recognized and unrecognized villages in certain districts as recorded in the government memorandum, as per 1950-69 records and 2011 Census:
“The UNC views this abnormal growth and the existence of large numbers of unrecognized villages as evidence of demographic invasion. The Council also notes with concern on the discrete attempts made by the certain groups of illegal settlers to claim exclusive areas and territory in collusion with disruptive forces.”
Therefore, the United Naga Council DEMANDS the following:
1. Implementation of NRC with 1951 as Base Year
The National Register of Citizens with 1951 as base year must be implemented in Manipur immediately to detect, identify and deport illegal immigrants.
2. No Census Until NRC is Completed
No Census shall be conducted in Manipur until the NRC process is fully completed and a verified database of indigenous peoples and bona-fide citizens is established for ensuring fair and just census in the state.
3. No Delimitation Until NRC is Completed
No Delimitation of Assembly Constituencies shall be carried out in Manipur before the completion of NRC. Any delimitation based on distorted population figures will be a grave injustice to the indigenous communities.
4. Stop Random Village Recognition
The practice of random recognition of villages without verification must be stopped immediately. A cut-off year/base year must be fixed to verify existing villages and de-recognize illegal and fake villages.
“Therefore, NRC must precede Census and Delimitation to safeguard the identity, rights, land and future of the indigenous people of Manipur. In the light of the above facts, the UNC urges the Government of India and the Government of Manipur to consider and implement these demands immediately in public interest” states the press release issued by H. James Hau, Information & Publicity Secretary, United Naga Council
