India’s federal government has assumed direct control of Manipur following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. The northeastern state has been grappling with ethnic violence that has claimed at least 250 lives over the past two years and displaced thousands.
Manipur has witnessed intense clashes between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki population since 2023. Tensions escalated after a court suggested extending economic benefits and job quotas, previously granted to the Kukis, to the Meiteis as well.
With the imposition of President’s Rule, the state will now be governed directly by the federal government through its appointed governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a former senior official in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry, President Droupadi Murmu stated that the decision was based on reports from the Manipur governor and other relevant information. “I am satisfied that the situation has made it impossible for the state government to function under constitutional provisions,” the statement read.
Singh, a leader from the Meitei community and a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stepped down last week under mounting pressure from opposition parties and his own allies. The National People’s Party (NPP), a key BJP coalition partner, withdrew from the alliance in November, citing the government’s inability to resolve the crisis. However, reports indicate that the NPP has recently rejoined the coalition.
The Modi administration has attributed the unrest partly to an influx of refugees from Myanmar, which shares a border with Manipur. Singh had previously expressed hope that stability would return to the state by 2025.
Manipur’s population of 3.2 million is almost evenly split between the Meiteis, who dominate the lowlands, and the Kukis, who primarily reside in the hilly regions.
