Tensions have once again flared in violence-hit Manipur, with fresh unrest injuring at least 11 people following the arrest of a prominent Meitei group leader over the weekend.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Ashem Kanan Singh, the self-styled “army chief” of the radical Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, at Imphal airport on 8 June. Singh, a former head constable dismissed from the police force earlier this year over alleged involvement in arms smuggling and armoury looting, was detained for his role in multiple criminal activities linked to the 2023 Manipur violence.
The CBI confirmed Singh’s arrest, stating he “was involved in various criminal activities related to Manipur violence in 2023” and that he has been taken to Guwahati for investigation. The agency also noted that trials related to the Manipur violence have been shifted out of the state to Guwahati due to prevailing law and order concerns.
Singh’s detention on the evening of 7 June, along with four associates, immediately triggered widespread protests across the Imphal valley. Arambai Tenggol announced a 10-day “total shutdown”, demanding his immediate release. Protesters defied prohibitory orders, setting fire to tyres and furniture, blocking major roads, and clashing with security forces. A police post was torched, prompting authorities to deploy tear gas shells.
The unrest spread across the state capital, with demonstrators setting a bus ablaze at Khurai Lamlong in Imphal East district and burning vehicles on Airport Road. At Keishampat, a 13-year-old boy was injured when a tear gas shell exploded. Security forces blocked roads to prevent Border Security Force personnel from entering the city.
Authorities responded by suspending internet and mobile data services across five valley districts—Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur—for five days. Home Commissioner N. Ashok Kumar cited concerns that “anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech, and hate video messages inciting public passions.”
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were imposed across the valley districts, with a total curfew reimposed in Bishnupur for the first time this year. Public movement in the valley was restricted due to fears of further violence.
Meanwhile, security forces conducted joint operations across eight districts, arresting 23 militants from various outfits and recovering 40 weapons, including self-loading rifles, M16s, INSAS rifles, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In Imphal East alone, forces recovered five IEDs connected in tandem, containing 35 kg of explosives.
In a separate operation, the National Investigation Agency arrested three insurgents linked to a January 2024 attack on an India Reserve Battalion post in Moreh, which killed two police commandos.
An all-party delegation of 26 MLAs met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on 8 June, seeking clarity on Singh’s arrest. Congress MLA Okram Surjakumar stated that the Governor confirmed the arrest was part of a CBI case, and that the four associates would be released after verification.
Singh, who resigned in February after the Supreme Court ordered an inquiry into leaked audio tapes allegedly featuring him claiming he instigated the ethnic conflict, declined to comment on whether Union Home Minister Amit Shah had summoned them. “I appeal to the public—this is a very crucial stage. People should act cautiously and in unity, avoiding violence,” Singh said.
The fresh unrest coincides with planned talks between Union home ministry officials and Kuki-Zo militant groups under the Suspension of Operation pact. This marks the first meeting since the peace agreement was put in abeyance last year amid allegations of the groups’ involvement in the ethnic violence.
The protracted conflict between Meiteis and Kukis, which erupted in May 2023, has claimed around 250 lives and displaced thousands. President’s rule was imposed in February following Singh’s resignation, with the state assembly placed under suspended animation until 2027.
In response to the escalating crisis, former chief minister N. Biren Singh and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba departed for New Delhi on 9 June to brief central leaders on the deteriorating law and order situation.
