On Wednesday, normal life remained disrupted in several valley districts of Manipur as a 48-hour shutdown, initiated by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), reached its final day. The JFD, a Meitei organization, is protesting against the Census until a National Register of Citizens (NRC) is established. The group has announced plans to boycott all government institutions starting Thursday as part of their ongoing agitation.
Market places, educational institutions, and public transport were also affected in five valley districts including Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur. Meanwhile, the North Indigenous Women’s Organisation (NIWO), a tribal community group also demonstrated a sit-in at Sekmai, Imphal West demanding the implementation of NRC.
JFD secretary Longjam Ratankumar Singh, said that as a part of the agitation against the government’s negligence of people’s demand on NRC before census process, boycott of all government institutions, both central and state, will be effective from Thursday. However, essential services and educational institutions will be exempted, he said. He also said that mass sit-in-protest during the day and torch rally during the night will be organised. A government official requesting anonymity said attendance was low in most government institutions.
