IMPHAL | Normal life was disrupted across the five districts of Manipur’s Imphal Valley on Tuesday as a 24-hour general strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) kept shops shut and public transport off the roads, despite the Centre’s decision to defer the Census exercise in the state.

The shutdown began at midnight on Monday and was called to press for a formal announcement that the Census in Manipur be deferred until the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented in the state.

Business establishments and shops remained closed across the valley, while only a limited number of private vehicles were seen on the roads.

At Khwairamband Keithel, Imphal’s main commercial centre and home to the iconic Nupi Keithel, women supporters of the strike took to the streets to enforce the shutdown. They asked people found outside their homes to return.

Public transport was severely affected, with e-rickshaws and other short-distance services remaining off the roads. Inter-district and inter-state passenger services were also disrupted, reports from various valley districts said.

Schools remained closed and attendance in government offices was reported to be thin. No major untoward incident had been reported until late morning, sources said.

The strike came a day after the Centre decided to defer Census operations in Manipur following a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi.

The meeting was held to review the security and overall situation in the state and was attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials, according to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

The Manipur High Court has also directed that the Census process in the state remain deferred until further orders.

A special bench comprising Chief Justice M Sundar and Justice A Guneswar Sharma passed the order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Kangleipak Students’ Association and a separate writ petition filed by Shanta Nahakpam, leader of 14 Valley-based civil society organisations.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 12.

The JFD, however, has maintained pressure for a clear government commitment linking the Census exercise with implementation of the NRC in Manipur.

The agitation comes amid continuing political and public debate over the Census and demands from sections of civil society that population-related exercises be preceded by an update of the NRC.

Earlier, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had appealed to all sections of society to avoid bandhs and blockades as a means of raising grievances. He urged organisations and citizens to adopt other democratic forms of protest.

Despite the Centre’s decision and the High Court’s intervention, the JFD shutdown has underscored the persistence of concerns among sections of the Valley population over the proposed Census exercise and its implications for Manipur.