The editorial warns that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Manipur may reduce, not improve, electoral inclusion. Its central concern is that a nationwide verification exercise, if applied mechanically in a conflict-hit state, can penalise displaced and document-poor citizens.
The article places this in the context of prolonged ethnic violence involving Meiteis, Kuki-Zo, and Manipuri Nagas. It says deaths, displacement, village destruction, and attacks on places of worship have fractured local life and weakened confidence in the administration.
The editorial also argues that public narratives around “illegal migrants” and “cleansing” the state create a hostile environment for fair revision. It says such narratives are often directed at Kuki-Zo communities and are not supported by long-term census evidence.
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