Curfew imposed in India’s Manipur after fresh unrest

Recent clashes erupt in conflict-hit state as arrest of Meitei group member reignites tensions in year-long ethnic and religious violence.

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in India’s northeastern Manipur state reimposed curfews and suspended internet services across five districts on Sunday, following a surge in violence linked to the arrest of a former police officer associated with a radical Meitei group. 

The move underscores the enduring volatility in a region grappling with more than a year of deep ethnic and religious unrest.

The latest escalation was triggered by the detention of Kanan Singh, a prominent figure in the hardline Meitei organization Arambai Tenggol. 

Singh, a former police officer, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the deadly 2023 ethnic clashes. He and four of his associates were transferred to Guwahati for judicial proceedings.

Singh’s arrest prompted large-scale protests by supporters of Arambai Tenggol. Demonstrators torched vehicles, set fire to a police outpost in Yairipok, and blocked major roads. 

In Imphal East, a bus carrying paramilitary personnel was also set ablaze. Security forces responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds, with at least 11 people reported injured, according to local media.

To prevent further escalation, authorities cut mobile and broadband services in Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur districts, warning that social media could be used to incite violence. Curfews were simultaneously reinstated in several towns to maintain order.

Arambai Tenggol has since announced a 10-day general shutdown across Manipur and demanded the immediate release of its detained members. 

The group has been widely accused of orchestrating attacks on Christian Kuki-Zomi communities and is believed to operate with relative impunity. 

In 2023, the group was allegedly involved in the abduction of a senior police official during a period of heightened ethnic violence.

Manipur has been engulfed in a humanitarian crisis since May 2023, when ethnic clashes broke out between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the Christian Kuki-Zomi minority. 

The violence stemmed from Meitei demands for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status — a constitutional designation granting access to affirmative action in education, employment, and land ownership. 

The Kuki-Zomi tribes opposed the move, citing fears of displacement and encroachment on ancestral land.

The conflict has resulted in over 250 deaths and displaced more than 70,000 people. Hundreds of homes and at least 300 churches were destroyed, leaving a deep scar on the state’s multi-ethnic fabric. 

Ethnic militias now control separate zones, with law enforcement and administration largely absent in many areas.

A particularly shocking incident in July 2023 — in which two Kuki women were stripped, paraded, and one gang-raped by a mob — drew international outrage after a video of the assault surfaced online. 

The episode highlighted the gender-based brutality of the conflict and the growing breakdown of state authority.

In February 2025, India’s federal government imposed President’s Rule in Manipur, suspending the elected government after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh stepped down. 

Despite this intervention, rights groups argue that little has been done to restore peace or ensure justice for victims. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited Manipur since the outbreak of violence, a point repeatedly criticized by opposition leaders and civil society organizations.

With extremist groups continuing to assert power and communal divisions deepening, the region’s slide into ethnic segregation and lawlessness shows few signs of abating.