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ISLAMABAD: Deep divisions between communities in Manipur continue to persist three years after ethnic violence first erupted in the northeastern state. Despite the passage of time, no convictions have been secured, the inquiry report remains delayed, and Kuki groups are again pressing for political separation. According to News Arena India (NAI), more than 260 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 displaced since clashes broke out on May 3, 2023, between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The violence has effectively split the state into hostile zones, with tensions continuing despite periodic efforts at dialogue. A commission of inquiry appointed by the federal government on June 4, 2023, to investigate the causes and handling of the unrest has missed multiple deadlines. Initially expected to submit its findings within six months, the panel has received four extensions, with its latest deadline now set for May 20, 2026. The commission also underwent a leadership change earlier this year after its chairman, Justice Ajai Lamba, resigned in February. He was replaced by former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, who assumed charge in March. India&rsquo;s top court, the Supreme Court of India, has repeatedly flagged lapses in the handling of the violence, including delays in registering cases related to sexual assault. It has ordered that some cases be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation for further probe. Even as the inquiry remains inconclusive, Kuki groups have intensified their demands for a separate administrative arrangement. The Kuki Inpi Manipur marked the third anniversary of the violence as &ldquo;Separation Day,&rdquo; reiterating its call for a Union Territory. In a statement, the group described the past three years as a period of &ldquo;untold suffering,&rdquo; alleging discrimination, institutional bias and selective enforcement of the law. It said thousands of people from the Kuki-Zo community remain displaced and continue to struggle with trauma and loss of livelihood. &ldquo;The present arrangement is neither sustainable nor just,&rdquo; the organization said, adding that the community could no longer live under conditions that deny &ldquo;dignity, justice and constitutional safeguards.&rdquo; Another group, the Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust, accused authorities of a &ldquo;complete collapse of the rule of law,&rdquo; pointing to a lack of arrests and prosecutions in several major cases. The group has called for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation, immediate arrests of those responsible for violence, and public disclosure of evidence. It also demanded action against armed groups and rehabilitation measures for those living in relief camps. The conflict has also exposed significant security lapses. Thousands of weapons were looted from police armories during the early days of the violence, many of which remain unaccounted for, raising concerns about ongoing militarization along ethnic lines. Although authorities have attempted to facilitate dialogue, sporadic violence continues. Incidents reported in April, including civilian deaths and clashes involving security forces, have underscored the fragile situation. With the inquiry yet to produce findings and communities still deeply polarized, calls for justice and accountability are growing, while prospects for reconciliation remain uncertain.

Indian security forces' crackdown in Manipur. (Screengrab: X/ @ashoswai)

India

Three years after ethnic violence in Manipur, deep divisions persist with no convictions, a delayed inquiry, and rising demands from Kuki groups for political separation.

Manipur unrest: Three years without justice fuels growing calls for separation

ISLAMABAD: Indian security forces say they arrested two men linked to a separatist group and seized weapons Tuesday in Manipur, a state bordering Myanmar, locked in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/curfew-imposed-internet-suspended-in-indias-manipur-after-fresh-violence" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">ethnic civil conflict</a> for nearly three years, drawing repeated warnings from the United Nations of humanitarian collapse. Indian authorities claim that both men are members of the People&#39;s Liberation Army of Manipur, a group advocating for Manipur&#39;s independence from India that New Delhi has designated a terrorist organization, according to The Hindu. Police say they recovered a double-barrel gun, a country-made pistol, 181 rounds of ammunition, two hand grenades, and a detonator in Imphal West district, Manipur Police said in a statement reported by local Indian media. The arrests come as Manipur&#39;s hill-dwelling Kuki-Zo people &mdash; predominantly <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/antichristian-hate-speech-in-india-surges-41-in-2025-report" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian</a> tribal communities &mdash; continue to bear the highest cost of a conflict India has struggled to contain or explain to the outside world. Violence erupted in May 2023 after a court directed authorities to consider granting the majority Meitei &mdash; a valley-dwelling Hindu community with outsized political influence &mdash; expanded indigenous land protections. Kuki-Zo groups feared this would expose their constitutionally protected ancestral hill territories to encroachment, according to UN Special Rapporteurs. The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs has noted that many indigenous groups already view Manipur&#39;s 1949 merger into the Indian Union as forced, a grievance that has fueled <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/civil-unrest-under-bjp-manipurs-ethnic-conflict-becomes-indias-warning-sign" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">secessionist movements</a> for decades. What followed the 2023 violence was a virtual partition of the state, with peace-building researchers describing the physical separation of communities as the most complete in the region&#39;s modern history. The humanitarian toll has been severe. Tens of thousands remain in displacement camps with no clear path home, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. By late 2024, approximately 80% of schools across the state were severely affected by curfews and ethnic segregation, impacting over 300,000 students, according to UNICEF. Research published in 2025 found that roughly 1,200 teaching staff had been displaced and that academic records had been destroyed, making educational continuity nearly impossible in conflict zones. Internet shutdowns, among the longest in India&#39;s history, blocked digital learning entirely, disproportionately affecting tribal children, the same research noted. Healthcare has collapsed along ethnic lines. The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition and researchers from The Lancet documented at least eight major attacks on health facilities in 2024 alone, including grenades delivered to hospitals and arson at medical centers. Because major specialist hospitals are concentrated in the Meitei-dominated valley, Kuki-Zo residents in the hills have been completely cut off from critical care. Preventable deaths have risen among patients unable to cross hostile territory for emergency surgery or dialysis, the Coalition documented. Blockades have caused critical shortages of life-saving medicines, routine immunizations, and maternal health supplies across hill districts, the same findings showed. The UN has warned that rhetoric around identifying &quot;outsiders&quot; &mdash; pushed by local groups seeking a National Register of Citizens &mdash; risks fueling further ethnic cleansing. Amnesty International has accused Manipur&#39;s authorities of partisan policing that allowed militias on both sides to arm themselves with weapons looted from state armories. Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have repeatedly cited <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bjp-funds-linked-to-government-contractors-in-northeast-india-report" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">India</a>&#39;s Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which grants security forces broad immunity, as a structural driver of impunity that has deepened mistrust in state institutions over decades. Separately, Manipur&#39;s newly appointed chief minister wrote to India&#39;s civil aviation minister this week requesting subsidized flights on the Imphal-Guwahati route. He said that air connectivity for Manipur&#39;s people was &quot;not just a convenience but an essential requirement,&quot; according to Press Trust of India, India&#39;s national wire service. It is a telling measure of how isolated the state remains from the rest of the country.

An ambulance rides past a security vehicle positioned in the middle of a road, during a curfew in Imphal on June 9, 2025. Riven by ethnic tensions, Manipur in India's northeast imposed an internet shutdown and curfew after protesters clashed with security

The arrests come as Manipur's hill-dwelling Kuki-Zo people — predominantly Christian tribal communities — continue to bear the heaviest cost of a conflict India has struggled to contain or explain to the outside world.

In India's smoldering ethnic war, fresh arrests deepen Manipur's wounds

ISLAMABAD: Fresh violence in Manipur&#39;s Ukhrul district in India has led to a strict security clampdown with curfew and internet suspension to restore peace, Indian media reported on Tuesday. Fresh violence in Ukhrul district of <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/execution-video-exposes-how-manipur-became-indias-invisible-conflict-zone" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Manipur </a>has prompted authorities to impose a curfew and suspend internet services for five days to restore order. The unrest began late on Monday when armed individuals allegedly set houses on fire in Litan Sareikhong village and fired rounds into the air, causing <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/civil-unrest-under-bjp-manipurs-ethnic-conflict-becomes-indias-warning-sign" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">widespread panic.</a> Residents were forced to flee their homes, with many taking shelter in neighboring Kangpokpi district. The Manipur government responded, citing the violence as a serious threat to public safety and peace. To prevent the situation from escalating, a temporary internet shutdown was ordered across Ukhrul district. The tensions have sparked widespread concern. Ashok Swain, a prominent Indian academic, in a post on X on Tuesday stated: &ldquo;Manipur burning again, curfew imposed and internet is blocked!&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2021257247951561043&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=eeb56533bd6554b017d39a1e884b9d48eaec654c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2021257247951561043"></iframe></div></div>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to troubled Manipur state in Sept. 2025 since more than 250 people were killed in ethnic clashes there in 2023, according to AFP.

Fresh violence in Ukhrul district of Manipur has prompted authorities to impose a curfew and suspend internet services for five days to restore order.

Articles tagged with "Violence in Manipur"

Manipur unrest: Three years without justice fuels growing calls for separation

In India's smoldering ethnic war, fresh arrests deepen Manipur's wounds

Curfew imposed, internet suspended in India's Manipur after fresh violence