People of Manipur want prolonged crisis to end: CM

Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh on Saturday, July 4, said the people of the state want an end to the prolonged ethnic conflict and emphasised that dialogue remains the only path to achieving lasting peace.

Addressing a public event, Mr. Singh said development cannot take place without peace and asserted that the people of Manipur are eager to move beyond the violence that has gripped the state for more than three years.

He said he was encouraged to see that Churachandpur district was no longer witnessing the disruptions experienced during the peak of the unrest.

The Chief Minister, however, alleged that a few individuals continue to benefit from the prevailing instability and therefore have no interest in restoring peace.

He urged people not to allow vested interests to derail efforts aimed at normalising the situation, adding that those attempting to disturb peace would be identified and dealt with in accordance with the law.

Mr. Singh said the prolonged crisis had severely affected the state's economy and government revenue, while the greatest burden had fallen on the poor and younger generations. He added that students had also faced significant disruptions to their education because of the conflict.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister visited Churachandpur to attend the last rites of BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, who died earlier this year after sustaining serious injuries in a mob attack in Imphal during the ethnic violence in 2023.

Ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities that began in May 2023 have claimed the lives of more than 260 people and displaced thousands across Manipur, making it one of the state's worst episodes of civil unrest in recent decades.