Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur, demanding accountability for the loss of lives, the displacement of thousands of people and the failure to restore lasting peace.
In a post on X, Kharge described the continuing bloodshed in the strategically important border state as a serious indictment of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of failing to maintain law and order, protect constitutional rights and safeguard national security.
He also questioned what action the Union government had taken to address the humanitarian crisis, ensure the safety of vulnerable communities and hold those responsible for the violence accountable.
“Manipur deserves justice, dignity, constitutional rights and lasting peace,” Kharge said, adding that the state's security and stability could not be held hostage to the BJP's political interests.
He asked how many more innocent lives would have to be lost before the Prime Minister and the Home Minister intervened effectively.
Bandhs in Kangpokpi and Imphal Valley amid fresh killings
Kharge's remarks came as a bandh called in protest against the killing of a 45-year-old Kuki man paralysed Kangpokpi district. The shutdown followed a fresh spike in violence in the state.
The bandh coincided with the second and final day of a shutdown in Imphal Valley over the killing of three Meiteis in an ambush in Imphal East on Monday.
The ambush marked the first reported incident of violence between Meiteis and Kukis since July 13. At least 50 people have been killed in the state over the past few months, with much of the recent violence involving Naga and Kuki communities.
The latest incidents have renewed concerns over the fragile security situation, even as political and administrative changes have failed to bring lasting calm to the state.
Kharge seeks answers on Peace Committee and displaced people
The Congress chief questioned the status of the Peace Committee constituted by Shah in June 2023, asking what steps it had taken to protect residents and address the state's security challenges.
He also sought details of the action taken on recommendations made by the Supreme Court-appointed committee headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal. The committee has been overseeing relief and rehabilitation efforts for people displaced by the ethnic conflict.
“Why are thousands of people still displaced, even as the Supreme Court has flagged unnatural deaths in relief camps?” Kharge asked.
He demanded information on measures to ensure the safety, dignity and rehabilitation of women, children and displaced families, many of whom have remained in relief camps for extended periods.
“Since May 2023, over 300 precious lives have been lost, while 24,530 are forced to be in relief camps in pathetic conditions,” he said.
Kharge argued that neither the imposition of President's Rule nor the subsequent return of a BJP-led government had succeeded in restoring peace.
“After more than three years, over 300 deaths, President’s Rule and a change of Chief Minister, who will take responsibility for this monumental failure of governance?” he asked.
Supreme Court flags deaths in relief camps
Kharge's criticism also comes against the backdrop of growing judicial scrutiny of conditions in relief camps housing people displaced by the ethnic conflict.
In September, the Supreme Court expressed shock over 34 unnatural deaths reported in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). The bench questioned the state government's failure to ensure that all such deaths were investigated through criminal cases and post-mortem examinations.
The three-member committee headed by Justice (retd) Gita Mittal, which oversees relief and rehabilitation in Manipur, had raised concerns about the state government's response after seeking information following a June news report on 25 unnatural deaths among displaced people in camps. One of the reported cases involved a death following a sexual assault.
The committee told the Supreme Court that it was dissatisfied with the response provided by the chief secretary. The court subsequently sought an explanation from the state government regarding the deaths and the steps taken to investigate them.
Kharge questioned why the committee's recommendations had not resulted in sufficient improvements in the conditions faced by displaced families and called for accountability over their continued suffering.
Manipur violence has claimed over 300 lives since 2023
The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities first erupted in May 2023 and has since claimed at least 306 lives, according to the figures cited in the report. The breakdown of law and order led to the formation of segregated ethnic enclaves and displaced around 66,000 people from their homes.
Despite efforts to restore normality, fresh incidents of violence continue to threaten the state's fragile security situation. Thousands of displaced residents remain dependent on relief camps, with questions persisting over their rehabilitation and access to basic services.
The latest violence has also involved the Naga community. On May 13, four people, including three church leaders, were killed in a twin ambush in Kangpokpi. On the same day, 48 civilians belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities were taken hostage by members of the opposing community.
Fourteen people from each community were released two days later, but 14 Kukis and six Nagas remained in captivity. Following 27 days of protests and appeals for the unconditional release of the remaining hostages, 14 Kuki hostages were freed on June 9.
The following day, the mutilated bodies of six Naga hostages were recovered, further inflaming tensions in the region.
Congress demands accountability from the Centre
Kharge's latest remarks place renewed pressure on the Union government to explain why the violence has continued despite the imposition of President's Rule and the subsequent return of a BJP-led government under a new chief minister.
He questioned both Modi and Shah over the lack of lasting peace, the continuing displacement of residents and the absence of clear accountability for the crisis.
The Congress chief also stressed that Manipur's location along India's international border made the situation particularly significant from a national security perspective.
He called for concrete measures to protect civilians, improve conditions in relief camps, rehabilitate displaced families and ensure that constitutional rights are upheld.
For Kharge, the continuing violence represents not only a humanitarian emergency but also a failure of governance that demands answers from the country's top leadership.