Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Manipur in the second week of September, marking his first trip to the state since the ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023.
According to reliable sources, the Prime Minister’s Manipur visit is being planned to coincide with his scheduled programme in Mizoram on September 13, where he will inaugurate a new railway line. While the Mizoram programme has been finalised, the Manipur leg is still under consideration and may take place on either September 12 or 13. If confirmed, the visit is expected to last around four hours.
During his brief stop, the Prime Minister is likely to visit both Meitei and Kuki-dominated areas and hold discussions with senior officials. Officials in Manipur said that the situation in the state has remained calm in recent months, with incidents of violence reducing sharply. Security forces continue to be deployed in large numbers, but schools and markets have reopened, and displaced families have slowly started returning home. A senior state official remarked that the situation is “under control” and that communities are “trying to move on from the violence.”
Government sources also pointed out that ongoing peace initiatives and community-level dialogues have played a role in easing tensions.
The Prime Minister’s possible visit carries major political and symbolic significance, as he has not travelled to Manipur since the outbreak of unrest more than two years ago. Opposition parties and sections of the public have repeatedly criticised him for not visiting the violence-hit state.
The ethnic clashes that broke out on May 3, 2023, claimed the lives of at least 250 people and left more than 60,000 displaced, many of whom continue to stay in relief camps.
Meanwhile, the Mizoram programme has been finalised, with the Prime Minister set to inaugurate a new rail link aimed at boosting connectivity between the state and the rest of the country.