# Manipur census training deferred as NRC demand protests escalate 2026-08-21T08:52:11+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Manipur government has postponed a census training programme in Imphal West district, originally scheduled for August 28, citing the prevailing law-and-order situation. A similar training was also scrapped in Thoubal district. The deferral comes amid protests led by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation, which demands that the National Register of Citizens be updated before the Census 2027 exercise. Protesters have blocked roads, burnt effigies of politicians, and called for a boycott of government offices. They argue that counting displaced residents in relief camps would produce an inaccurate database. The Congress party has also demanded a postponement, with MP A Bimol Akoijam stating that around 60,000 people remain homeless due to the ethnic violence that began in May 2023. However, the Kuki-Zo Council has opposed the NRC-before-Census demand, calling it premature and unjustified. In a statement, the council said the NRC is a national exercise under central government authority and that an impartial Census is needed to establish facts. The council also cited the complexities and legal challenges of the Assam NRC exercise. Chief Minister Y Khemchand has assured student representatives that the government will discuss NRC implementation in the Assembly session starting September 2. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Times Now's report frames the story around protest action and government deferrals, giving space to the Congress demand. Hindustan Times leads with the Kuki-Zo Council's opposition, which is absent from the other source, and includes the chief minister's assurance. The coverage reflects the core political divide: valley-based groups, mostly Meitei, want NRC before census, while hill-based Kuki-Zo groups oppose it as premature. A careful reader should note that both sources report the same underlying dispute from different community perspectives. The key date to watch is the Assembly session beginning September 2, where the government has promised to discuss the NRC. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Leads with government deferral and protest actions, reports Congress demand without critical framing - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with Kuki-Zo Council's opposition, includes CM assurance, balancing community views This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-23T08:40:57+00:00. Tags: A Bimol Akoijam, Census 2027, Govindas Konthoujam, Manipur, NRC, Y Khemchand Singh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/manipur-defers-census-training-as-nrc-demand-protests-grow/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/manipur-defers-census-training-as-nrc-demand-protests-grow/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/