Manipur shuts all educational institutes for 3 days amid protests over Census before NRC

Manipur Closes Schools and Colleges for Three Days as Census-Related Protests Escalate

Theindiapostdaily.com – The state government ordered every school, college, and university across Manipur to shut their doors from August 20 through August 22, pointing to the deteriorating law-and-order environment as justification. The directive, issued by the state Education Department, covered institutions affiliated with the Board of Secondary Education, the Council of Higher Secondary Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education, and any other body, spanning government, aided, and unaided sectors alike.

“In view of the prevailing law-and-order situation in the state, the Governor of Manipur declare the closure of all schools as may be affiliated to the Board of Secondary Education, the Council of Higher Secondary Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education or otherwise; colleges and higher education institutes incuding universities; falling under government, aided or unaided sectors, from August 20 to August 22.”

Protests Sweep the Valley Districts

The closure came on the second day of a 48-hour general strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), a Meitei-led body demanding that an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) be completed before any Census operation proceeds in the state. On Wednesday, supporters at Khurai Lamlong in Imphal East district set fire to effigies of Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh and Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam, insisting that the census should not move forward until internally displaced persons (IDPs) are allowed to return home.

In Imphal West, dozens of demonstrators gathered at Singjamei and marched roughly two kilometres to voice their grievances. Road blockades persisted across Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, and Thoubal, where bandh supporters halted both private vehicles and security-force convoys, ordering them to turn back. Marketplaces, schools, and public transit services were disrupted across five valley districts — Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur. A census training programme intended for supervisors, enumerators, and field trainers was scrapped in Thoubal, officials confirmed.

The JFD additionally announced a boycott of all government offices beginning Thursday, extending its agitation beyond the strike window.

Census Timeline and Government Response

A government notification dated March 22 placed the first phase of Census 2027 — the House listing operation — in Manipur at a September 1 start, running for 30 days. A parallel self-enumeration window of 15 days was set for August 17 through August 31.

On August 17, government spokesperson Sapam Ranjan stated that a delegation would travel to Delhi to lobby central leaders for a census postponement until the NRC exercise is finished. He invoked the Manipur assembly resolution of August 2022, which called for an NRC ahead of the census on grounds of demographic imbalance, and noted that the assembly reaffirmed that resolution in March 2024.

Roots of the Standoff

Meitei groups have long argued that an NRC is essential to identify undocumented migrants who settled in Manipur after 1951 from neighbouring countries, viewing them as a demographic threat to the state’s original inhabitants. Kuki communities, however, contend that Meitei leaders are attempting to brand them all as undocumented immigrants. For comparison, Assam updated its own NRC in 2019 to flag immigrants who arrived after 1971.

The latest round of unrest unfolds against a backdrop of protracted ethnic conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023, pitting Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities against one another. The violence has claimed more than 260 lives, displaced approximately 60,000 residents, and carved the state into heavily militarised buffer zones. Sporadic clashes, transport blockades, and lingering security anxieties continue to grip daily life across the valley.