Imphal: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has opposed demands from various groups in Manipur for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be updated before the upcoming Census, calling such demands "premature and unjustified."
In a statement, the KZC welcomed the decennial Census initiated by the Centre, which was delayed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The council said an impartial Census was necessary to establish an accurate picture of Manipur's demographic composition, particularly amid what it described as "falsehoods and propaganda" surrounding the population and demographic status of communities during the ongoing fallout of the Manipur conflict.
Regarding the NRC, KZC reiterated that it is a national exercise and that no provision exists for any community or state government to unilaterally initiate or conduct a separate NRC in a particular state at its own discretion. KZC also stated that, accordingly, no legitimate basis exists for any Manipur-based group or the State Government to dictate the timing or implementation of the national NRC exercise.
According to a KZC statement, the demand for an NRC before the Census appears to be based largely on unsubstantiated allegations and speculation concerning the Kuki-Zo community.
"Such claims should be assessed against credible demographic data. Since the Census is the appropriate source for such data, demanding an NRC before the completion and publication of Census 2027 results is premature and unjustified," it stated.
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The Assam NRC, conducted pursuant to the Assam Accord of 1985, excluded around 19 lakh people from the final list and could not be finalised amid ongoing legal challenges and pending appeals before the Foreigners Tribunals. Those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur should first consider its complexity, implications, and consequences, it stated.
Further, the KZC called upon all concerned to allow the Census to proceed without obstruction, respect the authority of the Central Government over the NRC, and refrain from using demographic issues as instruments of communal propaganda or victimisation.