Kuki-Zo Council Rejects Calls for NRC Before Manipur Census

LAMKA, August 23, 2026: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has rejected demands from certain communities in Manipur for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be conducted before the decennial Census, calling such a move premature and without legal basis.

In a press release issued by Ginza Vualzong, Secretary, Information and Publicity of Kuki-Zo Council on August 23, the council said it welcomed the Census initiated by the central government, which was delayed from 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It said an impartial census was essential to establish reliable demographic facts and counter what it described as falsehoods and propaganda surrounding population figures amid the conflict in Manipur.

The KZC also welcomed the delimitation exercise, saying representation should be based on verified demographic data.

On the NRC, the council said it was a national exercise and argued that neither a state government nor a community had the authority to independently initiate or determine the timing of an NRC for a particular state.

The council said demands for an NRC before the census appeared to rely largely on what it described as unsubstantiated allegations and speculation concerning the Kuki-Zo community. It argued that such claims should instead be assessed using credible demographic data from the census.

"Demanding an NRC before the completion and publication of Census 2027 results is premature and unjustified," the council said.

The KZC cited the Assam NRC, conducted under the 1985 Assam Accord, saying around 1.9 million people were excluded from its final list and that the process remained subject to legal challenges and pending appeals before Foreigners Tribunals.

The council urged those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur to consider its potential complexity and consequences.

It called on all parties to allow the census to proceed without obstruction, respect the central government's authority over the NRC and refrain from using demographic issues as instruments of what it termed communal propaganda or victimisation.