3 months into President's Rule, Governor's airlift to Raj Bhawan shows Manipur is still volatile

The Print

28-05-2025

This is corroborated by security stakeholders, state government officials and Manipuri MLAs that ThePrint spoke to regarding the situation in the Northeast state.
The episode encapsulates the fragile situation in Manipur, a state that remains volatile even after over two years of the ethnic conflict. Three months into the President's Rule, which was imposed 13 February— four days after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned —there has not been any significant difference on the ground.
New Delhi: On Monday, an Army helicopter airlifted Governor Ajay Bhalla from the airport to drop him at the Raj Bhavan after protesters lined up along his route. This was after a Meitei organisation announced protests against the bid to 'undermine the identity of Manipur.'
Even as there has been no large scale violence reported since the President's Rule was imposed, they told ThePrint that there is not much improvement—be it recovery of looted weapons, reining in extortion cases, opening national highways, or outreach between the two ethnic communities: the non-tribal Meiteis and the tribal Kukis.
The latest round of protests that led to Bhalla's airlift was triggered after central security personnel allegedly asked some state government employees to cover the word 'Manipur' painted on the state transport bus, which was taking journalists to the Shirui Lily festival in Ukhrul on 20 May.
Though an investigation was ordered, the administration was unable to placate Meitei civil society organisations. They sought an apology from the Governor and demanded the removal of chief secretary Prashant Kumar Singh, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh, and security advisor Kuldiep Singh.
'There is a complete disconnect between what the Centre is doing and what the people including the BJP leadership in the state want,' a BJP MLA told ThePrint.
The BJP MLAs have been demanding installation of a government for a while now but with the party a divided house, the Centre is not too confident if it's the right time to stake claim. Though the assembly is in suspended animation, the BJP continues to be in majority in the 60-member House.
Extortion up again, looted weapons a worry
A senior security official said that there was a lot of expectation that with the Centre in charge, the law and order situation will improve. 'In fact, in the first two months after the President's Rule, extortion was under control. But, there is an uptick again.'
The official added that extortionists from insurgent groups in the Imphal Valley have changed their modus operandi. 'They no longer send extortion letters. Instead, they call their target and if the person does not comply, they put a hand grenade outside his house to threaten him.'
In April, security agencies seized seven-eight hand grenades from houses of the people, who were being targeted by the extortionists, the official said. 'Some grenades were recovered the next month as well.'
Extortion is rampant in the hills too, but it is very organised there unlike in the Valley.
'Areas are divided between different underground groups. A particular underground group operating in an area won't venture into another's territory. In the hills, the general public gives donation to the different groups to protect their areas,' another security official said.
Another area of concern, security officials said, is a very limited recovery of looted weapons.
A second security official in the state government said that of the total 6,020 weapons looted from police armouries, only 2,900 weapons have either been returned or recovered, so far.
'After the President's Rule in February, a little over 250 looted weapons have been returned or recovered. In all, not even 50 percent of the looted weapons have been recovered,' the official said.
Soon after the President's Rule was imposed, the Governor made a public appeal urging the people to surrender illegal weapons for which he set a one-week deadline. On 27 February, the last day of the deadline, members of Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei socio-cultural group which transformed into a radical armed outfit, surrendered 246 weapons.
#WATCH | Imphal | The members of 'Arambai Tengol'- a Meitei organisation, today surrendered their arms following their meeting with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Feb 25 pic.twitter.com/GUboHG3lui
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2025
'This was more of a public display. Not much has happened since then,' the official said.
Security officials told ThePrint that in their internal meetings, Bhalla had set a 30 June deadline for recovery of looted weapons. But it's unlikely the deadline will be met.
The security official quoted earlier said that on an average, 8-10 cadres of underground groups were apprehended every week. 'Since February, about 180 people have been arrested. But, they are mostly village volunteers, or low-rung cadres. A majority of them are released on bail in a week or two. None of the hardcore cadres, who underwent training in Myanmar or elsewhere, have been arrested. Our information is that most of them have fled to Myanmar,' the official said.
Manipur DGP Rajiv Kumar was not available for comment.
Nevertheless, Manipur-based Lt Gen Konsam Himalay Singh (retired) said that the absence of violence in a complex situation is a partial success.
'Three months of the President's Rule to some extent has been a limited kind of success, since there's hardly any violence. I say 'limited' as dialogue was to take place between members of the two communities. Dialogue did take place, but not in the right direction. The highways are yet to be cleared of disturbances even now,' Singh, the first from the North-East to become a Lieutenant General in the Army, told ThePrint.
But, he added, the key issue of recovery of illegal and other looted weapons from the police armouries have not been substantial. 'That's an issue of concern… More action is needed on that front.'
Also Read: As Centre steps in, Manipur underground groups tell cadre to 'lie low', but situation still volatile
National Highways yet to be opened
Even the two national highways—NH 2 and 37—that were closed since the ethnic violence erupted in May 2023 remains out of bounds.
A Manipur government official said the authorities did try to open the national highways, but were not successful. 'There are safety concerns… Though there is no violence but the situation continues to be tense and can flare up at the slightest provocation.'
In fact, the government tried to start interdistrict bus service between Imphal and the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi twice in the last two years but were forced to call it off after failing to get passengers.
There has been a rise in corruption cases as well. R.K.Nimai, a retired IAS officer, said that with the President's Rule in place, the people expected that corruption would reduce.
'Though there is a reduction in corruption cases in the higher echelon, it goes on merrily at the public-government interface. No serious initiative to reign in corruption is seen. Corruption is the bane of Manipuri society and without rooting it out, there can hardly be any development,' he said.
No substantive dialogue, so far
With the BJP brass yet to take a decision on installation of a popular government, party MLAs are growing impatient. In April, 21 MLAs, including 13 from the BJP, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the formation of a government.
A BJP MLA told ThePrint that time is running out for them. 'People's anger against their elected representatives is growing. There has been no substantive outreach between the Meiteis and the Kukis. There have been a couple of meetings between civil society organisations on both sides, but not much has come out of it.'
The President's Rule remains in effect till 12 August. If a government is not installed till then, the Centre can extend it for a maximum of three years with parliamentary approvals every six months.
What is needed, according to the MLA, is a political dialogue between the two communities.
'The main grouse of the Kukis was that as long as Biren Singh is there as CM, they will not come to the table for talks. With Biren gone, political dialogue should have been initiated. If a government is in place, it can at least restart talks and try to restore normalcy.'
The BJP MLAs are worried that if the stalemate continues, it will get difficult for the party to return to power in 2027, when the assembly elections are due.
Lt Gen Singh (retired), too, asserted that popular government is most desirable in a democracy. 'But in this case, it seems, there is no political consensus among the different camps. This is delaying the installation of a popular government. A stable government is what is required,' he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: 2 years after Manipur violence. The govt doesn't care to fix the pain