Manipur closes schools amid NRC delimitation protest turmoil

The Manipur government on Wednesday ordered the closure of all schools and colleges across the state for three consecutive days beginning August 20, citing deteriorating law-and-order conditions. The directive from the state Education Department covers all educational institutions, including those affiliated to the Board of Secondary Education, Council of Higher Secondary Education, and Central Board of Secondary Education, as well as private schools and higher education colleges.

The shutdown coincides with intensifying protests by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation, which has called a 48-hour general strike to demand that the National Register of Citizens be updated before the Census exercise is conducted in the state. On the second day of the strike, demonstrators burnt effigies of political leaders and organised rallies across Manipur's valley districts, signalling escalating public anger over delimitation concerns.

Extending the scope of its agitation, the JFD announced a boycott of all government offices starting Thursday. The campaign has positioned the NRC update as essential to protect the demographic interests of the state's population, with the delimitation issue becoming a flashpoint in regional politics. State authorities have indicated that the educational closure may be extended depending on the law-and-order situation.