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A strike and protests broke out in Manipur on Sunday, shortly after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the restive northeastern region. Last Saturday, Modi made his first trip to the troubled state since ethnic violence claimed over 250 lives two years ago.
During his visit, students from Manipur University held demonstrations, chanting “Go Back Modi.” Police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas against the peaceful protesters, resulting in dozens hurt.
Modi is on a three-day tour that includes visits to Assam, which borders Bangladesh, and Bihar—India’s third-largest state with a population of at least 130 million. Bihar, a crucial battleground for upcoming elections set for October or November, is the only state in India’s Hindi-speaking northern heartland where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not governed alone.
Bihar is also among the poorest Indian states, and Modi planned to announce investments totaling $8 billion, focusing on agricultural projects, new rail links, road improvements, and an airport terminal.
Since violence erupted in May 2023 between the primarily Hindu Meitei community and the mostly Christian Kuki community, Manipur has been deeply divided. The conflict has displaced tens of thousands, many of whom still live in temporary camps organized by the government.
“To restore normalcy in Manipur, the Indian government is making every effort,” Modi proclaimed yesterday to a crowd in Churachandpur, a town with a Kuki majority. “I assure you today that I stand with you. The government of India is with the people of Manipur,” he added, urging all groups to pursue peaceful paths and realize their aspirations.
Modi was also scheduled to speak at a rally in Imphal, the predominantly Meitei capital of the state. His last visit to the region—bordering Myanmar and located 1,700 km (around 1,050 miles) from New Delhi—was in 2022, when he inaugurated development projects worth over $960 million, including five highways and a new police headquarters.
Biren Singh, the former chief minister of Manipur from Modi’s BJP, resigned in February after criticism for failing to curtail the violence. The state, which has a population nearing three million, has since been directly governed from New Delhi.
Long-standing tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities, rooted in competition for land and government jobs, continue to simmer. Human rights organizations accuse political leaders of stoking divisions for personal gain.
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