MANIPUR’S BLOODSHED EXPOSES A DEEPENING GOVERNANCE CRISIS AS MALLIKARJUN KHARGE DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM MODI AND SHAH
October 22, 2026
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 22: Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government over renewed violence in Manipur, demanding answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah following the killing of four people in the state.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Kharge condemned the latest killings and accused the BJP of failing to restore peace despite more than three years of ethnic violence. He said the continuing bloodshed reflected a serious failure of governance and questioned the effectiveness of the Centre’s response to the crisis.
Kharge stated that more than 300 people had lost their lives since violence erupted in May 2023, while 24,530 people continued to live in relief camps under what he described as deplorable conditions. He criticised the government’s political decisions, including the imposition of President’s Rule, the replacement of the chief minister and the subsequent restoration of a BJP-led government, arguing that these changes had failed to bring lasting peace.
The Congress leader also questioned Modi’s absence from Manipur for nearly 29 months after the violence began, arguing that the Prime Minister had failed to fulfil assurances made in Parliament concerning the restoration of normalcy.
FOUR KILLINGS RENEW CONCERNS OVER SECURITY
According to police, one person was killed during stone-pelting between two communities in Thoubal on Sunday. On Monday, three woodcutters were shot dead by unidentified armed militants in Sagolmang. The incidents occurred amid continuing tensions and sporadic violence across the state.
Separately, three Central Reserve Police Force personnel were seriously injured in a bomb blast at Singjamei on Sunday. On Monday, police fired tear gas to disperse relatives of the slain woodcutters who were protesting outside Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s residence in Imphal.
Violence continued in the following days. A mob attacked labourers in Yaripok on Tuesday, while several houses were reportedly set ablaze in an abandoned village in Kamjong district on Wednesday.
The incidents have intensified concerns over the ability of the state and central authorities to protect civilians and prevent further escalation.
KHARGE RAISES THREE QUESTIONS FOR MODI AND SHAH
Kharge demanded clear answers from the Prime Minister and Home Minister on three central issues.
First, he asked what had happened to the Peace Committee constituted by Amit Shah in June 2023 to facilitate reconciliation and dialogue amid the ethnic conflict.
Second, he questioned what concrete measures the government had taken to restore peace, protect citizens and address the continuing security challenges in the sensitive border state.
Third, he demanded details of the action taken on the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Gita Mittal Committee concerning relief and rehabilitation for displaced people.
Kharge also pointed to the Supreme Court’s concerns over 31 unnatural deaths in relief camps and questioned why thousands of people remained displaced after years of government intervention.
He argued that the persistence of violence, displacement and inadequate rehabilitation required political accountability at the highest levels of government.
OPPOSITION SEEKS ALL-PARTY MEETING
Meanwhile, parties belonging to the INDIA opposition bloc in Manipur have called on Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the escalating violence and explore ways to restore peace.
The demand comes as communities involved in the conflict continue to experience sporadic clashes, attacks and destruction of property. The opposition wants political parties to deliberate collectively on the security situation and the measures required to prevent further loss of life.
Kharge questioned who would accept responsibility for the continuing crisis after more than three years of violence, hundreds of deaths, President’s Rule and a change of chief minister. He asked how many more innocent people would have to die before the Prime Minister and Home Minister took effective action.
The renewed violence has once again placed Manipur’s unresolved ethnic conflict and the government’s handling of the crisis at the centre of national political debate. The Congress is demanding accountability, effective civilian protection and meaningful rehabilitation for displaced people, while the opposition’s call for an all-party meeting seeks a broader political response to a crisis that remains far from resolved.
