A 24-hour general strike over NRC and Census 2027 demands disrupted normal life across the Imphal Valley in Manipur.
IMPHAL — A 24-hour statewide general strike which began at midnight on Monday called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) disrupted normal life across the five districts of the Imphal Valley in Manipur on Tuesday.
The general strike began at midnight on Monday and continued until midnight on Tuesday. The JFD has been demanding an official announcement to defer the Census 2027 exercise until the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented in the state.
All business establishments and shops remained closed, while only a few private vehicles were seen on the roads. At Khwairamband Keithel, the main commercial centre in Imphal city where the iconic Nupi Keithel (Women's market) is located, strike supporters, mostly women, came out on the streets to enforce the shutdown and asked individuals outside their homes to return.
The strike was effectively enforced in places such as Singjamei, Kwakeithel, Uripok, Naoremthong, Takyel, and Thangmeiband in Imphal West district, as well as Wangkhei, Khurai, Porompat, and Nongmeibung in Imphal East district.
Short-distance inter-city passenger transport services, including e-rickshaws, and inter-district and inter-state public transportation came to a halt from early morning, according to reports from the districts. Schools remained closed, and the functioning of government offices was severely affected. No untoward incidents were reported till the filing of the report.
Also read: Ministers respond to starred questions in Nagaland Assembly
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh appealed to the public to refrain from imposing bandhs, stating that repeated shutdowns disproportionately affect vulnerable sections of society, particularly daily-wage earners, low-income families, and students.
The chief minister made the appeal during a reception at the BJP office in Imphal on Tuesday, shortly after arriving from Delhi. On August 31, the Union government deferred the Census 2027 operations in Manipur.
Women vendors of Khwairamband Keithel announced that they will intensify their ongoing agitation, including continuing their protests through the night, until the central and state governments issue a formal order declaring that the Census will be conducted in the state only after the NRC is updated.
Displaying placards reading “No NRC, No Census” and “No IDP Settlement, No Census", the women vendors also joined the day's strike and staged a sit-in protest at Nupi Keithel.