Overview
- A high-level meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah agreed to defer Census 2027 in Manipur after officials, the governor and the chief minister reviewed the situation.
- The meeting included Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and considered local calls to update the NRC before enumerations begin.
- Mass protests led by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation and allied groups caused a 48-hour shutdown, school closures and forced several district administrations to cancel or defer enumerator training.
- Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh credited sustained lobbying by 14 civil society organisations and a delegation of BJP MLAs for bringing the issue to the centre and said it will be raised in the Assembly session beginning Sept 2.
- Officials have not set a new timetable for census work, leaving training programs disrupted and raising the prospect of extended administrative disruption and a political debate over citizenship and representation in the state.