As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Manipur on Saturday (September 12, 2025), his first since ethnic violence erupted in the State in May 2023Imphal and Churachandpur, the two places where he is expected to lead a roadshow and address a gathering of thousands of people, are fortified with heavy security presence every 100 metres.
PM Modi will also inaugurate projects worth ₹8,500 crore in the hill and valley districts and meet those displaced from their homes after the ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo people erupted on May 3, 2023.
Watch | Prime Minister in Manipur on September 13: Too late for peace?
Around 250 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced in the violence which has erupted in phases.
Mr. Modi posted on X on Friday (September 11, 2025) that the government is “fully committed to furthering inclusive and all-round development of Manipur”.
Though the visit was being planned for days, as reported by The Hindu on September 2, it was officially announced by the Prime Minister’s Office and the State administration only on Friday (September 11, 2025).
Churachandpur upbeat, Imphal sceptical
The PM will first arrive at the Peace Ground at Churachandpur town in the hills around 11.30 a.m. on Saturday. The sidewalk along the road leading to the ground was covered in yards of tricolour with posters put up by civil society groups welcoming him.
In State capital Imphal, the State administration has put up huge hoardings and posters of the PM along the 7-km stretch from Kangla Fort to airport. Mr. Modi will address a gathering of around 15,000 people at Kangla Fort, a place of cultural and political significance for Manipur.
Churachandpur, where Kuki-Zo people live, and Imphal, a stronghold of Meitei people, are 61 km apart. While people in Churachandpur are visibly enthusiastic about Mr. Modi’s visit, many in Imphal, though they welcome the visit, are sceptical about the outcomes.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in Imphal said on condition of anonymity, “Though the Prime Minister’s visit is happening after two and a half years (after the violence broke out), it brings us hope for peace in the future. Businesses had been badly affected in the past. The projects he is going to announce are likely to usher in some development.”
‘No visit for last 28 months’
Manipur Congress president K. Meghachandra Singh said the visit was only for a symbolic purpose. “They should have a concrete roadmap to bring peace in the State. People are in despair; they are still living in relief camps. People are suffering. It is unfortunate that he has not visited the State for the last 28 months, there is no free movement of people (on highways),” Mr. Singh said.
The Kuki-Zo Council, the conglomerate of Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal groups in the State said that the “visit will open a new chapter of hope, recognition, and meaningful engagement” for the Kuki-Zo community, and urged all sections of society to extend their full cooperation and join hands in making this visit “a historic and memorable occasion”.
“We call upon everyone to come out in great numbers tomorrow, dressed in colourful traditional attire, to warmly welcome our Prime Minister and showcase the rich culture, unity, and resilience of the Kuki-Zo people,” the statement said.
Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla will accompany the Prime Minister at both locations. The State has been under President’s Rule since February 13.
A senior government official said that out of the 6,000 police weapons looted from armouries in 2023, around 4,200 had been recovered so far, with a majority of the recoveries made after the President’s Rule was imposed.
“Other than this, hundreds of sophisticated weapons that were present with the people, armed groups before the conflict began have also been seized,” said the official.
Projects for Manipur
The bunkers where armed village volunteer groups took positions to protect their communities have been dismantled. Central armed security forces have been deployed in the buffer-zones, areas where the hills and valley districts merge, to prevent any untoward incident.
Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said, “On his arrival at Churachandpur at about 11.30 a.m., the PM will first interact with the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the district. He will lay foundation stone for various infrastructural projects to be taken up throughout the State at Peace Ground, Churachandpur, and will also address the public gathering present there.”
He would then arrive at Kangla around 2 p.m. and interact with the IDPs.
A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said, “In line with his commitment to inclusive, sustainable and holistic development of Manipur, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over ₹7,300 crore at Churachandpur. The projects include Manipur Urban Roads, drainage and asset management improvement project worth over ₹3,600 crore; 5 national highway projects worth more than ₹2,500 crore; Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) project, working women hostels at 9 locations, among others.”
It added that the Prime Minister will also inaugurate multiple development projects worth more than ₹1,200 crore in Imphal. They include the Civil Secretariat at Mantripukhri; IT SEZ building and new police headquarters at Mantripukhri; Manipur Bhawans in Delhi and Kolkata; and Ima markets, unique all women’s market, in 4 districts.
Published – September 12, 2025 03:23 PM is
