Manipur crisis not terrorism, no Govt until reconciliation: HM
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 21 2025: Union home minister Amit Shah has said that past instances of crisis ethnic crisis in Manipur could be stabilised only after three to four years, and until the differences between the Meetei and Kuki communities are sorted out, restoring an elected government will remain difficult.

In an interview to The Times of India, Amit Shah underlined that the prolonged ethnic tension is the primary reason behind the ongoing instability in the state, not terrorism or anti-national activity.

"The situation in Manipur is not of terrorism, nor is it an anti-national issue.

It is related to ethnic tension, " Shah said.

He attributed the crisis to multiple triggers including the instability in Myanmar, which led to infiltration through the open Indo-Myanmar border, and a court order recognising Meeteis as also deserving of Scheduled Tribe quotas, which he said "triggered a spark" .

"We need to keep in mind that in all the previous cases of ethnic violence in Manipur, the situation could be stabilised only after three-four years," Amit Shah said.

He added that while there is no immediate atmosphere of violence, the rift between the two communities remains unhealed.

The Union government has been facilitating reconciliation by holding separate talks with both communities and is now engaging them at the political level.

"We are hopeful of success soon," he said.

However, when asked when a democratically elected government is likely to be restored in Manipur, the home minister made it clear that peace and reconciliation must precede political normalcy.

"Until the differences between the two communities are sorted, it will be difficult.

Peace is very important," he stated.

Shah's remarks came in the back-drop of a sharp rise in security-related incidents across the Northeast in the last two years, mainly due to the violence in Manipur.

A recent statistical report released by the Northeast division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that the Manipur conflict has reversed the trend of improving security in the region since 2014.According to the report, 243 security-related incidents occurred in the Northeast in 2023, of which 187 incidents were in Manipur alone.

That year, Manipur accounted for 33 out of 40 extremists killed, 184 of 407 extremists arrested, and 7 out of 8 security personnel deaths in the entire region.

Additionally, 35 of the 38 civilian deaths and 33 of the 99 kidnappings reported across the Northeast took place in Manipur.

The situation worsened in 2024 .

Of the 294 incidents recorded across the Northeast that year, 226 occurred in Manipur, while Assam recorded just 7.The state also accounted for 23 of the 31 extremist deaths, all three security personnel deaths, 30 civilian deaths, 386 of the 571 extremist arrests, and 79 out of 189 kidnappings across the region.

The MHA report noted that the overall security scenario in the Northeast had steadily improved after 2014, with the number of security-related incidents declining from 824 in -2014 to 574 in 2015, and dropping further to a low of 163 in 2020 .

However, incidents began to rise again in 2022 with 201 reported cases, followed by 243 in 2023 and 294 in 2024, a trend mainly driven by the Manipur crisis.

The report attributed the recurring insurgency in the region to difficult terrain, socio-economic underdevelopment, and longstanding historical grievances including language and ethnic divisions, tribal rivalries, migration, and disputes over resources.

These conditions, along with porous international borders, have allowed various insurgent groups to maintain cross-border links, secure weapons, recruit cadres, and engage in unlawful activities.

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