NEW DELHI: With Manipur gripped by ethnic violence since May 2023, the Centre is now working on a plan to bring Kuki and Meitei leaders to the same table for a joint meeting, likely in November–December this year, officials familiar with the developments told TNIE on Thursday.
Amid ongoing ethnic clashes and insurgency in the northeastern state, a series of peace talks, major seizures of illegal weapons, and a noticeable decline in violence have raised fragile hopes among officials engaged in efforts to restore peace, they said.
A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We are hoping that the prevailing situation in the state continues for a few months. Provided violent clashes between the fighting groups do not occur, plans are afoot to bring together Kuki and Meitei leaders on the negotiating table and arrive at a lasting peace.”
“In their separate meetings with the MHA officials they have indicated that they wanted peace and return to normalcy,” the official added.
According to officials, security forces have achieved a breakthrough in ensuring uninterrupted movement of essential goods from the capital, Imphal, to other parts of the state, including remote hill regions.
In the past three months, the Centre initiated talks and held three rounds of negotiations each with representatives of the Meitei and Kuki communities—separately—officials said, adding that the discussions were “constructive” and both sides had agreed to continue the dialogue.
The Centre is now hopeful of convening a joint meeting by the end of the year, preferably around November or December — a step considered critical to achieving lasting peace in the state.
Following an appeal by Governor Ajay Bhalla earlier this year to surrender illegal arms, a total of 1,089 weapons have been voluntarily handed over by various groups and individuals.
This brings the total number of recovered weapons to 5,859, officials said, adding that the largest recovery took place on the night of June 13–14, when Manipur Police and security forces recovered 328 weapons from five districts in the Imphal Valley.
“From the midnight of July 3 to the morning of July 4, 2025, security forces conducted coordinated search operations across the hill districts of Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Churachandpur, acting on specific intelligence inputs. The joint teams—comprising Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, Indian Army, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)—uncovered large caches of arms, ammunition, explosives, and other warlike materials from concealed locations,” Manipur Police had said in one of its ‘X’ posts.
Security forces have intensified operations against criminal and extortion networks. So far, over 600 extortion-related cases have been registered, and more than 320 arrests made, police said, adding that nearly 12 underground operatives affiliated with various militant outfits have also been apprehended.
The efforts of the police and security forces reflect a systematic attempt to dismantle insurgent financing and logistics networks, officials said. They added that improvements in the situation could be attributed to better coordination among central forces, proactive engagement by community leaders, and a growing willingness among rival groups to pursue dialogue.