Normal life was severely disrupted across five valley districts of Manipur on Tuesday as a 24-hour statewide strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) over the demand to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census brought markets, schools and public transport to a halt.
The shutdown affected Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts. Shops, market establishments and business centres remained closed, while roads wore a deserted look in several areas. Educational institutions also stayed shut and public transport remained off the roads, although a limited number of private vehicles were seen moving.
At Yairipok in Thoubal district, strike supporters reportedly placed bamboo poles across roads to prevent vehicles from passing.
The strike continued despite the Centre’s decision on Monday to defer the Census exercise in Manipur. The decision followed a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. The Census was scheduled to begin in the state from September 1.
Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam had appealed to the JFD to withdraw the strike following the decision to defer the Census. However, the organisation said it would continue with the agitation, maintaining that there was no official order confirming the deferment.
According to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the issue of the Census was discussed at the high-level meeting in the context of demands from people and civil society organisations for implementation of the NRC before the exercise.
The meeting was attended by Amit Shah, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials.
Khemchand Singh expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for taking note of the concerns raised by people in Manipur and addressing the demand linked to the Census.
