Imphal: Fourteen civil society organisations (CSOs) in Manipur have urged the Centre to adopt a tripartite framework for implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), using 1951 as the base year.
They also called for the identification of genuine citizens and the deportation of illegal immigrants before the Census 2027 process is finalised.
Speaking to the media in Imphal, the convenor of the CSOs, Shanta Nahakpam, alleged that the prolonged ethnic conflict in Manipur was rooted in demographic changes caused by illegal immigration across the porous India-Myanmar border.
He claimed there had been cross-border infiltration over the past seven decades and raised concerns over what he described as anomalies in previous census data, particularly the sharp population growth recorded in hill districts such as Chandel and Senapati since 1981.
The organisations demanded that the updated NRC notification be issued before the Census 2027 begins and that the final census figures be withheld until the NRC verification process is completed.
They also urged the Centre to defer any delimitation or constituency restructuring in Manipur until the NRC exercise is completed.
In addition, they sought the inclusion of a representative from the Manipur Population Commission in the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC) and proposed a tripartite framework involving the Central Government, the State Government and local civil society organisations.
According to the CSOs, the delegation recently met senior central government officials in New Delhi, including Registrar General Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) Mahatma Sandeep Namdeo, and Joint Secretary (North East) Niraj Kumar Bansod, to present their demands.