Census training programme deferred in Manipur's Imphal West amid protests over NRC demand

Imphal: The Manipur government has deferred a training programme for enumerators and supervisors under the Census 2027 in Imphal West district, amid protests over NRC demand, an official said on Thursday.

The training programme under the first phase of the census exercise was scheduled to begin on August 20.

"The training programme scheduled to commence from August 28, 2026, is hereby deferred in view of the prevailing law and order situation in the district," the official said, citing a letter sent to the chief principal census officer of the Directorate of Census Operations.


The programme was meant for enumerators and supervisors for phase one of Census 2027, he said.

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"Teachers assigned as enumerators and supervisors for the census are facing embarrassment, humiliation and different forms of obstacles while attending training sessions," said the Council of Teachers' Associations (COTA), Manipur.

Protesters had on Wednesday burnt effigies of politicians and took out rallies in different parts of Manipur's valley districts on the second day of the 48-hour general strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) to press for updation of the NRC before the census exercise is conducted in the state.

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The JFD has also announced a boycott of all government offices from Thursday as part of its ongoing agitation.

The Manipur government on Wednesday announced that all educational institutes in the state would remain closed for three days from August 20, citing the "prevailing law-and-order situation".