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Manipur turns fortress over likely PM visit
Manipur officials prepare for PM Modi's potential visit on Sept 13 amid ongoing ethnic tensions, focusing on security and confidence-building measures.
Top security officials in Manipur on Tuesday held an advance security liaison (ASL) meeting with personnel of the Special Protection Group (SPG) related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s possible visit, likely on September 13, officials in Manipur said on Thursday.
If the visit, which has not been officially announced, materialises, it will be the first trip by the PM to the strife-torn state since ethnic clashes started in May 2023.
The PM, according to the officials in Manipur cited above, imay consider holding a public meeting in the valley district of Imphal and another one in the hill district of Churachandpur.
Imphal is a valley district where the Meiteis reside, while the Kuki-Zo tribals live in Churachandpur.
To be sure, neither the Manipur government nor the prime minister’s office has announced his visit.
Even as the Centre achieved a significant breakthrough on Thursday by signing the Suspension of Operations Pact(SoO) with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups and convincing Kuki-Zo civil society organisations not to block NH 2, security personnel in Manipur said only time will tell how many people cross their strongholds and travel to from valley to the hills and vice versa.
Meanwhile some Kuki-Zo organisations such as village defence Coordinating committee ( civilians who have taken up arms) said they would not allow free movement for Meitei people until a separate arrangement is made for Kuki-Zo. It also warned Kuki-Zo council that it would be responsible for the consequences.
Senior security personnel officials in Manipur said the administration will have to focus on confidence-building measures. ”The last time (March 2025) when the government announced free movement in Manipur state-run buses for people to travel across districts under tight security, there were protests and violence. It was unsuccessful from the start. Currently, essential commodities are moving from the valley to hills or from the hills to the valley under a security convoy. The drivers are those from neutral communities(non-Meitei and non-Kuki-Zo). In recent meetings, there was a suggestion by top officials that we should start getting Meitei and Kuki-Zo people behind the wheel. Other citizens may not want to cross the buffer zone before they are confident enough,” said one security officer.
A second officer, who also asked not to be named, said that the government might not restart free movement by offering buses right away. “There is enough security on the highway to Imphal-Churachandpur or Imphal-Kangpokpi. Forces are still posted on the highway. In a few cases, there were people from both communities, who joined the security convoy escorting essential commodities and passed each other’s areas. This wasn’t announced or publicised. Some people are trusting the forces and travelling quietly. In the coming days, steps will be taken to formalise this arrangement for larger groups of travellers,” a second security officer said.
