Manipur Census Deferred After NRC Demand

The Indian government has deferred the nationwide census exercise in the northeastern state of Manipur, a decision announced on August 31, 2026, just one day before the operation was scheduled to begin. The postponement came after a high-level review meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which addressed widespread demands from civil society groups to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before conducting the population count. The meeting was attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and other senior officials. According to an official statement from the Chief Minister's Secretariat, the gathering "discussed in detail the demand raised by the people of Manipur to defer the Census exercise in the State before the implementation of the National Register of Citizens NRC." The statement concluded that "the meeting agreed to defer the proposed Census exercise in the State considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur.