IMPHAL, India: Protests and clashes erupted in Manipur on Sunday, a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to the restive state since ethnic violence killed more than 250 people over the past two years.
Students at Manipur University staged demonstrations and chanted “Go back Modi” as the premier arrived in the state capital Imphal, local media reported.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds, leaving dozens injured, according to protest organisers, cited by Indian media outlets.
Manipur, bordering Myanmar, has been deeply divided since May 2023 when violence erupted between the mainly Hindu Meitei majority and the largely Christian Kuki community.
More than 250 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced, many of whom still live in makeshift camps set up by the authorities.
During a rally in Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated town, Modi pledged government support for the state.
“In order to bring life back on track in Manipur, the government of India is making all possible efforts,” he told BJP supporters, according to national broadcaster Doordarshan. “I promise you today that I’m with you. The government of India is with the people of Manipur.”
The trip was part of Modi’s three-day tour of Assam, Bihar and Manipur. In Bihar, one of India’s poorest states and a crucial electoral battleground, he is expected to unveil investments worth $8 billion ahead of state polls later this year.
Rights groups say tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities — rooted in disputes over land rights and government jobs — have long simmered in Manipur, and accuse political leaders of fuelling divisions for political gain.
The state, with a population of nearly three million, has been under direct rule from New Delhi since February when Chief Minister N Biren Singh, from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned amid criticism of his handling of the violence.
Analysts say Modi’s long absence from Manipur underscored the political sensitivity of the crisis. Human rights organisations have criticised what they call the government’s slow and inadequate response.
“The absence of a clear policy framework and the reluctance to engage directly with local communities has deepened mistrust and prolonged the violence,” the New Delhi-based rights group People’s Union for Democratic Rights said in a statement last month.
