Imphal : Protests linked to the Just Fair Delimitation (JFD) movement intensified in Manipur on Wednesday, leaving at least six people injured after police dispersed demonstrators near the historic Ima Keithel in Imphal. The agitation comes amid growing opposition from several groups demanding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the conduct of the upcoming Census of India 2027.

Officials said the injured included five women and one man who were part of a demonstration organised by members of the Campaign for Just & Fair Delimitation (JFD). The protesters had gathered near the bustling Khwairamband Bazaar and were demanding that the census exercise be deferred until illegal immigrants are identified and the NRC is updated in the state.

Police intervened after demonstrators allegedly attempted to block roads and disrupt normal movement in the area. Security personnel deployed in large numbers moved in to disperse the crowd, during which six individuals sustained injuries. The injured were later provided medical attention.

The protest caused temporary disruption to market activities around noon, with several shops shutting down briefly as tensions escalated in the area.

Naorem Malemba, Assistant Organisation Secretary of the Campaign for Just & Fair Delimitation, said the protest was aimed at opposing what the group described as ongoing preparations for both the census and a future delimitation exercise.

“We demand deferment of the ongoing census process until the identification of illegal immigrants is completed with reference to the 1951 census,” Malemba said while addressing reporters.

He argued that conducting the census without first identifying illegal immigrants could disturb the existing demographic balance of the state. “If the census is conducted, it will pose challenges to our societal balance. So before conducting the census we demand updation of NRC and census later,” he added.

Malemba further alleged that preparations related to the census were being carried out at two locations in Imphal – the State Institute of Training and the Ima Keithel area. Several women vendors from the iconic Ima Market joined the demonstration alongside other supporters, amplifying the scale of the protest.

Sources said protesters had initially planned to gherao the Manipur Legislative Assembly by mobilising a large crowd at Ima Keithel, taking advantage of the ongoing Assembly session. However, police intervened and dispersed the demonstrators before they could proceed towards the Assembly complex.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur staged a separate protest the same day by locking down the State Institute of Training at Takyel. The student body alleged that training programmes related to the upcoming census were being conducted at the institute.

DESAM convenor M. Somorjit Meitei said the protest was part of the broader JFD movement seeking the implementation of the NRC before the census and any subsequent delimitation exercise. “We have come here today because the government is trying to conduct the census without taking into consideration the aspirations of the people of Manipur,” Somorjit told reporters.

“As part of the Just Fair Delimitation movement, we strongly condemn the government’s initiative to start census training for government employees. Such actions will not be tolerated,” he said.Somorjit warned that conducting delimitation without first detecting illegal immigrants could have serious political consequences for the state.

“Without detecting illegal immigrants first, conducting a delimitation exercise in the state will have fatal consequences. Many Assembly constituencies will go out of our reach, and this will have a huge impact on the people of Manipur,” he added.

Referring to the ongoing Assembly session, the student leader urged the state government to adopt a formal resolution against delimitation without the implementation of the NRC.

“At present the Assembly session is going on, and therefore we request the honourable Chief Minister to take up a resolution in the House stating that no delimitation exercise should be conducted without the implementation of NRC,” he said.

The protest at the training institute remained peaceful, with DESAM members reiterating their demand that NRC be implemented before any census-related activities are undertaken in Manipur.

The demonstrations took place against the backdrop of preparations for the 16th national census. The Union Cabinet of India, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the proposal to conduct the Census of India 2027 on December 12, 2025.

The census, originally scheduled for 2021, had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now expected to be conducted in 2027.