Amit Shah reviews security situation in Manipur

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Manipur on Friday (March 20, 2026) where he directed Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to crack down on drug cartels and prioritise the resettlement of thousands of people displaced after ethnic violence erupted in the State on May 3, 2023, a government source said.

The meeting, the first since President’s Rule was revoked in the State, was convened in a hybrid mode with the Chief Minister joining virtually from Imphal. He was accompanied by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and senior officers, including Director General of Police Rajiv Singh.

The Manipur government was asked to submit a detailed plan to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to combat drug smuggling.

During the meeting, the State administration was asked to expedite the recovery of looted police weapons. More than 6,000 police weapons were looted in 2023 and more than half have been recovered by the security agencies.

The ongoing tension between the Kuki and the Tangkhul Nagas in Manipur’s Ukhrul district was also discussed. The Litan area of Ukhrul district has witnessed a wave of violence and arson since February 7, three days after the new Chief Minister was installed.

To revive economy in the strife-torn State, the administration was reportedly asked by the Home Minister to identify sick industrial units and prepare a road map for their revival.

Ethnic violence

The ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo people has claimed around 250 lives so far. Thousands of properties were burnt down and more than 60,000 people were displaced from their homes. Around 10,000 people who were displaced have reportedly been resettled in their homes. President’s Rule was imposed in the State on February 13, 2025.

Meanwhile, the Manipur Chief Minister is all set to meet Henlianthang Thanglet, chairman of the Kuki Zo Council (KZC), a conglomerate of Kuki-Zo bodies, in Guwahati on Saturday (March 21, 2026) to discuss “matters related to bringing back peace and normalcy in Manipur.”

The free movement of people from the Meitei and the Kui-Zo community in the valley and hill districts is yet to start. Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki-Zo community, is yet to travel to Imphal and attended official meetings virtually, mostly from her residence in the hill district of Kangpokpi.