Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 13 September 2025 travelled to Manipur for the first time since the state’s ethnic violence erupted in May 2023. He met families still living in relief camps, rolled out a major package of infrastructure and welfare initiatives, and urged rival communities to “restore trust and move forward together.”
Two Years After the Riots
The 2023 clashes between Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups left over 250 people dead and displaced tens of thousands. Large swathes of Manipur remain under tight security and the state has been under President’s Rule since early 2025. The Prime Minister’s arrival was therefore seen as both symbolic and practical, signalling renewed federal attention to a crisis that has dragged on for more than two years.
Meeting Displaced Families
In Churachandpur, a district badly hit by the unrest, Mr. Modi visited camps housing people who lost their homes and livelihoods. He spent time speaking with women and children, listened to personal accounts of displacement, and distributed symbolic gifts to some of the affected families. According to officials, this was the first direct interaction between the Prime Minister and victims of the violence since it began.
Rolling Out Development Works
The Prime Minister also used the trip to kick-start a wide range of projects. Foundation stones were laid for road upgrades, educational and health facilities, women’s hostels and market redevelopment schemes worth more than ₹7,000 crore. In Imphal, he inaugurated completed works valued at about ₹1,200 crore, including new government buildings, transport links and cultural heritage sites.
Call for Peace and Unity
Addressing a public meeting at Peace Ground in Churachandpur, Mr. Modi stressed that “lasting peace is the first condition for lasting development.” He appealed to all communities to renounce violence and said the central government was committed to inclusive growth “where every group feels secure and represented.”
Security and Political Context
The visit was prepared under heavy security. Posters and banners welcoming the Prime Minister had been vandalised earlier in the week, underscoring continuing tensions. Opposition parties welcomed the development projects but criticised the two-year delay in a prime-ministerial visit, arguing that victims needed direct reassurance much earlier.
Conclusion
Mr. Modi’s first visit to Manipur since the 2023 unrest combined empathy with policy: meeting people still living with the consequences of violence while unveiling an ambitious package of development measures. Whether these gestures translate into reconciliation and rebuilding will depend on sustained efforts from both the central and state administrations — and on communities themselves choosing to lay aside hostilities.
