Meitei Alliance Urges Census Delay Until IDPs Return Home

IMPHAL, August 10, 2026: The Meitei Alliance has urged the Government of India and the Government of Manipur to postpone the Census in the state until all internally displaced persons (IDPs) have safely returned to their original homes.

In a press statement issued  by The Meitei Alliance, which has offices in India and the United Kingdom, on August 10, the alliance said the violence that began in May 2023 had “forcibly altered Manipur’s demographic landscape”. It expressed concern that conducting the Census under the present circumstances could record a demographic pattern shaped by violence and displacement rather than the state’s actual demographic character.

The Meitei Alliance further warned that such data could have long-term consequences and may inadvertently legitimise the ethnic segregation created by the conflict. It also claimed that distorted demographic data could support narratives seeking to divide Manipur along ethnic lines.

The organisation therefore called for the safe and dignified return of all IDPs before Census enumeration begins in the state.

“Restore the displaced first. Census thereafter,” the statement said.