Manipur student protest escalates, 3 hurt in police action
JFD students’ wing vows to intensify agitation over Census 2027
Imphal: Three protesters were injured after police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting against the conduct of Census 2027 without prior implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur, members of a students’ body said.
According to Kashmir Media Service, student wing members of the Campaign for Justice and Fair Delimitation (JFD) staged a protest outside the Directorate of Census Operations in Imphal East on August 16. They demanded that the upcoming Census exercise be deferred until the NRC is updated in Manipur.
Tensions escalated when protesters reportedly attempted to lock the office premises, following which security forces fired tear gas shells to disperse them. Three student protesters were reportedly injured in the action.
The protesters raised slogans of ‘No NRC, No Census’ and said the Census exercise should not be conducted in the state before updating the NRC. The JFD Students’ Wing said it would intensify protests if their demand is not accepted, with further agitation programmes.
