The strike coincides with the start of the self-enumeration phase of Census 2027 (August 17–31), with the main house-listing operations scheduled from September 1 to 30. Protests have grown in recent days, with women vendors from Khwairamband Ima Keithel staging sit-ins, students holding rallies, and demonstrators earlier disrupting census training programmes. Two students were injured in police action during protests on Monday