14 CSOs line up Jun 8 mass rally on NRC

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jun 3 : Piling up more pressure on the Government to first update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before conducting census operations, the 14 CSOs Kangleipak has lined up a mass protest at Imphal on June 8.
Speaking to media persons at the office of IPSA at Keishamthong today, 14 CSOs, Kangleipak convenor Shanta Nahakpam remarked that both the Central Government and the State Government have taken up several steps which seem to be undermining and sidestepping the people’s demand for updating the NRC before the census operations.
The Government of India published a gazette notification on May 26 about the constitution of a high level committee to look into demographic changes.
According to the gazette notification, the high level committee should submit its report within one year.
However, the State Government has not taken up any step to get any official from the State inducted into the high level committee.
The State Government may send an officer of the defunct Manipur State Population Commission as a member of the high level committee, Shanta said.
On the other hand, the State Government published a gazette notification on May 23 which said that the 6th Panchayat election will be held based on the 2001 census report.
But the census report of 2001 was mired in a big controversy following unnatural population growth in nine sub-divisions.
Many cases related to this unnatural growth are still pending in Courts, he said.
If the Panchayat election is held based on this controversial and contested census report, it will only legitimise  the same census report, Shanta said.
Moreover, the census report of 2011 was published after incorporating the controversial report of 2001, he said.
It would be wrong to assume that the purpose of the high level committee is similar to that of updating the NRC, he asserted.
Considering the urgent need for updating the NRC and to elicit a concrete response from the Government, the 14 CSOs Kangleipak is organising a mass rally on June 8.
The rally will start from Tiddim Ground at 10 am and wrap up at THAU Ground with a public meeting, Shanta said.
He appealed to all sections of the people to join and extend support to the rally.