Kharge questions Modi, Shah over failure to restore peace in Manipur

Mallikarjun Kharge says Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have failed to restore peace in Manipur. He links that failure to continuing bloodshed, displacement and a lack of accountability. He calls it a grave indictment of the BJP’s handling of law and order, constitutional rights and national security.

Kharge asks what happened to the Peace Committee created by Shah in June 2023. He also asks what action followed the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Gita Mittal committee. That panel was overseeing relief and rehabilitation for displaced people. Kharge highlights deaths in relief camps and the absence of criminal investigations and post-mortems.

The crisis remains unresolved despite President’s Rule and the return of a BJP-led government. The article reports at least 360 deaths and 55,000 displaced people since 2023. Kharge says the government must protect civilians, restore stability and provide justice, dignity and lasting peace.

The ethnic conflict in Manipur is a prolonged clash between two major communities: the dominant Meiteis and the tribal Kukis. The violence first broke out in May 2023. It matters because a breakdown of law and order has divided the state into ethnic enclaves and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

The article describes attacks involving both communities. Three Meiteis were killed in an ambush in Imphal East, while a 45-year-old Kuki man was killed the following day. It also reports that at least 50 people died in recent months, mostly in Naga-Kuki clashes. A later section puts total deaths since 2023 at at least 360.

The violence has continued despite political and security measures. It has displaced 55,000 people, while 24,530 were reported living in relief camps. The continuing clashes have also affected Naga communities, increasing tensions and complicating efforts to achieve lasting peace.

The article gives two headline measures of the crisis: at least 360 people have been killed since the violence began in 2023, and 55,000 people have been displaced. These figures show that the conflict is not limited to isolated attacks. It has caused sustained loss of life and a major movement of civilians.

The article also reports a more specific camp figure. Kharge says 24,530 people are forced to live in relief camps in poor conditions. The Supreme Court had flagged unnatural deaths in those camps. In September, it expressed shock over 34 such deaths and questioned why investigations and post-mortems had not been properly pursued.

The figures describe both the broad humanitarian impact and the conditions inside camps. Deaths continue amid renewed clashes and shutdowns. The article does not provide a single date for every total, so the counts reflect different points and descriptions within the continuing crisis.

When ethnic violence destroys law and order, civilians lose safety, homes and access to normal public life. In Manipur, communities have formed ethnic enclaves, while displaced families have been pushed into relief camps. This creates long-term insecurity rather than a short emergency, especially for women, children and families separated from their homes.

The article gives a stark example from the camps. The Supreme Court flagged 34 unnatural deaths and questioned the state’s failure to register criminal cases and conduct post-mortems. A committee report also referred to 25 internally displaced people who died in camps, including one death after a sexual assault. These details show how weak protection can deepen civilian suffering.

Kharge says 24,530 people remain in camps under pathetic conditions. He asks for measures ensuring safety, dignity and rehabilitation. Unless investigations, protection and resettlement improve, displacement can continue to fuel fear, mistrust and further ethnic separation.

The Peace Committee was constituted by Amit Shah in June 2023 to support efforts to address the conflict and help restore peace. Kharge asks what status it has reached and what steps it has taken to protect people and respond to Manipur’s security challenges. The article does not provide a detailed record of the committee’s work.

The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Gita Mittal committee had a different focus. It was overseeing relief and rehabilitation for people displaced by the violence. It sought responses from the chief secretary after reports of unnatural deaths in camps. The committee found that response unsatisfactory, according to the article.

These bodies represent two linked needs: reducing violence and caring for people already harmed. Kharge asks what action followed the committee’s recommendations. The continuing deaths, camp conditions and displacement suggest that peace efforts and rehabilitation measures have not yet produced a lasting solution.

President’s Rule in India is a constitutional arrangement used when a state government is judged unable to function according to the Constitution. The state’s administration then operates under the authority of the Union, with Parliament handling the state legislature’s powers. It changes the governing framework, but it is not itself a peace agreement or a cure for communal conflict.

In Manipur, the article says that President’s Rule and the return of a BJP-led government failed to restore peace. Violence continued through killings, shutdowns, displacement and camp deaths. The Supreme Court also questioned the state’s handling of investigations and post-mortems after unnatural deaths in relief camps.

This shows why political control alone is insufficient. Ending ethnic violence requires protection for civilians, credible investigations, accountability, dialogue and rehabilitation. The article records at least 360 deaths and 55,000 displaced people. Those figures explain Kharge’s question about who will take responsibility for the continuing governance failure.

Manipur’s location along India’s international border gives the conflict importance beyond the state itself. Instability in a border region can complicate security, movement, administration and relations across the frontier. The article therefore connects the state’s internal violence with wider national-security concerns.

Kharge argues that the Union government’s response matters particularly because of this strategic location. He says the BJP cannot allow Manipur’s security and stability to be held hostage to political expediency. His questions focus on protecting people, addressing security challenges and ensuring that constitutional rights are upheld.

The article describes a serious governance challenge: ethnic enclaves, mass displacement and at least 360 deaths since 2023. It also reports continuing attacks and shutdowns. Border importance does not itself end the conflict, but it raises the stakes. Lasting peace would require civilian protection, accountable administration and restored stability across the state.