Six Injured In Protest Against Census Without NRC In Manipur
A confrontation broke out when the Manipur Police and Rapid Action Forces blocked the protestors who tried to resist the security forces: Reports
GUWAHATI: More than six people were injured in police action on Wednesday when hundreds of people took to streets in Imphal for the implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) or a similar mechanism before the census in the ethnic violence-hit state.
Arguing that the census, without first identifying undocumented immigrants, would undermine the entire exercise of census, hundreds of people under the banner of Just Fair Delimitation (JFD), a civil society body took out march towards the Manipur assembly, which is in session.
A confrontation broke out when the Manipur Police and Rapid Action Forces blocked the protestors who tried to resist the security forces. Police resorted fired tear gas shells. The six protestors sustained minor injuries and were given first aid and discharged.
The civil society group demanded that the census should not be conducted until illegal immigrants are identified through the NRC or a similar mechanism. “Until illegal immigrants are properly identified, conducting the census would not be appropriate,” said the civil rights activists.
Congress MLA K Meghachandra raised the matter in the assembly and urged the government to defer the census process until peace is restored and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are resettled.
Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand informed the state assembly that the census would take time as preparatory procedures are to be completed.