Extremist groups are linked to Manipur conflict, says 14-group coalition

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Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. File | Photo Credit: PTI

A coalition of 14 civil society organisations in Manipur has criticised Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju for describing the prolonged violence in the State solely as a communal conflict.

The coalition, which was at the forefront of a movement that made the Centre defer the Census exercise in Manipur, said the conflict was linked to armed groups. It questioned the Centre’s approach to these groups despite failing to address the security dimensions of the crisis.

According to Manipur’s Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas, the conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023 claimed the lives of 306 people while 49 remained missing till the first week of September 2026. The conflict, initially between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities and then between the Kukis and Nagas, also left more than 60,000 people homeless.

Speaking at a conclave in New Delhi on September 27, Mr. Rijiju said the Kuki, Meitei, and Naga communities need to engage in talks for lasting peace in Manipur. “Using the military would not resolve the crisis,” he said.

“The Union Minister’s description of the Manipur conflict and his emphasis on dialogue reflected an “inadequate understanding” of the security scenario, Shanta Nahakpam,” the coalition’s convenor, said. “The violence has involved armed extremist groups, and attacks on civilians and villages,” he told journalists in Imphal on Saturday (October 3, 2026).

The ongoing violence in Manipur was similar to that in Changlang, Longding, and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Nahakpam said. Armed groups, mostly comprising Nagas, have been active in these districts for more than three decades.

Mr. Nahakpam also slammed the Centre for continuing the Suspension of Operations arrangement with 25 Kuki-Zomi armed groups after the 60-member Manipur Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in February 2024 to abrogate it.

The Suspension of Operations, signed in 2008 between the Centre, and the Kuki National Organisation and the United People’s Front, was extended in September 2025.

Meanwhile, the Manipur government urged the Just and Fair Delimitation campaign group to pause its stir, as it has considered the demand to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before conducting the Census operation. 

“We are taking the Just and Fair Delimitation memorandum seriously and are making efforts to translate its demands into action,” government spokesperson and MLA Sapam Ranjan Singh said.

“The government wants to address the concerns and wishes of the people of Manipur. We need to work together,” he said, appealing to the Just and Fair Delimitation campaign group.

The perception that the illegal entry of foreigners, particularly from Myanmar, was changing the State’s demographic profile has drastically fuelled the demand for the NRC.

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