Manipur Census Protest: Two Students Injured as Police Use Lathi-Charge in Imphal
The Manipur census protest turned tense in Imphal on Monday, August 17, with two students injured after security forces used a lathi-charge to control protesters, police said.
The incident took place at Dhanamanjuri University, where a group of students and protesters attempted to intervene in a Census training session being held at Dhanamanjuri Teachers’ Training College and Hindi Teachers’ Training College.
According to police, the situation escalated when protesters tried to enter or disrupt the training activity. Security personnel then moved to disperse the crowd. Two students were injured during the action and were subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The protests are centred on a demand that the Census exercise in Manipur be postponed until the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented in the state. Protesters have also called for measures to address the issue of undocumented migrants and the resettlement of people displaced by the ongoing conflict before the Census begins.
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Two-day shutdown announced across Manipur
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), a local organisation leading the campaign, has announced a 48-hour total shutdown across Manipur beginning Monday night.
JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba said the organisation, along with several civil society groups and community representatives, wants the government to first address concerns surrounding illegal immigration and migration before proceeding with the Census.
The organisation has been demanding that the NRC be implemented with 1951 as the base year. Protest leaders argue that conducting the population exercise before resolving these issues could have long-term implications for the state’s indigenous communities.
Students march through Imphal
The latest demonstrations were not limited to the university campus. A large group of students marched along Tiddim Road, raising slogans including “No NRC, No Census”.
The protesters travelled for around two kilometres from the Imphal International Airport side towards Keishampat junction before the rally was brought under control.
Students also raised the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs), demanding that their resettlement be addressed before the Census process starts.
A separate demonstration was reported outside CC Higher Secondary School in Imphal East. Women vendors at Khwairamband Ima Market also staged a protest in the market area, reflecting the wider opposition emerging across sections of civil society.
Census 2027 schedule in Manipur
The protests come as preparations for Census 2027 are already underway in the state.
Under a government notification issued on March 22, the self-enumeration phase in Manipur is scheduled to run from August 17 to August 31, 2026. The main house-listing operation is scheduled to take place from September 1 to September 30, covering a 30-day period.
The timing of the protests has therefore brought the dispute directly into the initial stages of the Census exercise.
Earlier disruptions reported
Monday’s confrontation follows similar incidents in recent days.
On August 14, preparations for the Census were disrupted at Moirang College in Bishnupur district, according to officials.
On Sunday, police said two students were injured during security forces’ efforts to control a crowd outside the Directorate of Census Operations office in Imphal East. Protesters had reportedly attempted to lock down the office as part of their opposition to the Census process.
The repeated demonstrations indicate that concerns over the Census have become part of a broader political and social debate in Manipur, particularly around migration, citizenship documentation, delimitation and the status of displaced residents.
What happens next?
With the 48-hour shutdown now underway and the house-listing process scheduled to continue, the immediate challenge for the administration will be to maintain Census preparations while preventing further confrontations.
The protesters, meanwhile, are seeking government intervention on the NRC and IDP-related demands before the population enumeration progresses. Any further disruption could affect the smooth conduct of Census-related activities in the state.
For now, the injuries reported in Imphal have added to tensions surrounding an exercise that is officially scheduled to move ahead from August 17, even as sections of Manipur continue to demand that the process be postponed.
