📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ginza Vualzong
Politics
Kuki‑Zo Council Rejects Call for NRC Prior to Census in Manipur
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 24 Aug 2026, 09:03 AM
👁 16
The Kuki‑Zo Council in Manipur has publicly opposed proposals to conduct a National Register of Citizens before the upcoming census, calling the demand premature.
The Kuki‑Zo Council, representing the Kuki and Zo communities in Manipur, issued a formal statement rejecting recent calls to introduce a National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the 2024 census. The council said the demand lacks legal basis and could disrupt the demographic exercise.
Officials of the council argued that the census, scheduled for early next year, already involves extensive data collection and that layering an NRC on top would create administrative bottlenecks. They warned that premature implementation could fuel communal tensions in the sensitive northeastern state.
The council’s stance adds to the broader national debate on NRC, a measure that has been contentious in several parts of India. While some political groups continue to push for an NRC, the Kuki‑Zo Council emphasized the need to focus on a smooth census and to address citizenship issues through established legal channels.
No immediate response was recorded from the central government, but the council indicated it will monitor developments closely and engage with authorities to ensure that the rights of the Kuki and Zo peoples are protected during the census process.
Officials of the council argued that the census, scheduled for early next year, already involves extensive data collection and that layering an NRC on top would create administrative bottlenecks. They warned that premature implementation could fuel communal tensions in the sensitive northeastern state.
The council’s stance adds to the broader national debate on NRC, a measure that has been contentious in several parts of India. While some political groups continue to push for an NRC, the Kuki‑Zo Council emphasized the need to focus on a smooth census and to address citizenship issues through established legal channels.
No immediate response was recorded from the central government, but the council indicated it will monitor developments closely and engage with authorities to ensure that the rights of the Kuki and Zo peoples are protected during the census process.