Churachandpur, Sept 11, 2025(Virthli): With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to visit Manipur on September 13, tensions flared in Churachandpur late Thursday night as a group of youths vandalized and set fire to street decorations prepared for his reception. Several arrangements made for the event were also torn down.
One protester told reporters, “We will not be violent in our protest. What we do is not violent … but we will destroy all decorations and halls made for Modi to show our anger and frustration. And if they get violent, we will get violent.”
Amid the unrest, security forces rushed to the scene to restore order and are maintaining a tight vigil across the district. Authorities described the incident as a serious security breach ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.
The political atmosphere in Manipur remains sharply divided. Amid skeptical mood among many in the Meitei-dominated Imphal about the Centre's role in finding a solution to the conflict, at least six valley-based insurgent groups on Wednesday issued a “boycott call” to Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit.
However, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a forum of Kuki-Zo organisations, called the visit “rare and historic.” A KZC leader said, “This is a historic and rare occasion, it comes nearly four decades after an Indian Prime Minister last visited our region. Former PM Rajiv Gandhi had visited Churachandpur way back in 1971.”
KZC leaders reiterated their long-standing demand for a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution. “For years, we have been voicing our demand for complete separation from Manipur… We place our trust in your leadership to heal our wounds, restore our dignity, and safeguard the future of the Kuki-Zo people,” the Council said.
Meitei groups, however, remain opposed to such a demand and instead call for the implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to detect what they describe as “illegal Chin-Kuki migrants from neighbouring Myanmar.”
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Security forces are on high alert, and local authorities have appealed for calm. This will be Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to violence-hit Manipur since ethnic clashes broke out on May 3, 2023, which have left more than 250 dead and displaced over 60,000 people.
