Congress demands Manipur CM’s resignation, fresh polls amid renewed violence

Kangpokpi: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh during an inspection of Sinai Camp, a designated camp for militants under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, in Kangpokpi district, Manipur, on October 25, 2026.

The Congress on Sunday (October 25, 2026) demanded the resignation of Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh, alleging a failure to contain renewed violence in the State. It said no armed group or individual attacking civilians should enjoy “political protection or immunity”.

Addressing a press conference, Congress MP and Manipur in-charge Saptagiri Ulaka called for time-bound investigations and prosecution in cases of killings, firing, arson, and destruction of civilian property.

Referring to the protests on Friday (October 23), Mr. Ulaka said thousands of people across five districts took to the streets and marched towards Lok Bhavan before police stopped them. They carried out unique “sound protests”, Mr. Ulaka said, using the very technique prescribed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had asked Indians to bang utensils during the COVID pandemic. The police, he alleged, used a heavy hand to suppress the protest by using tear gas shells and lathi charge against the people.

The Congress leaders cited recent incidents of violence, including the killing of three Meitei civilians collecting firewood on October 19 and clashes in Kamjong district in which Kuki and Naga civilians were killed.

Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, who visited Manipur earlier this month, said women affected by the conflict continued to face hardship. “The BJP government in Manipur has completely failed to stop the violence there,” she said.

Mr. Ulaka alleged that armed groups possessed more sophisticated weapons than security forces. He said around 300 people had been killed since May 2023, while nearly 60,000 were displaced, with about 24,000 yet to return home.

The Congress leaders called for immediate protection of civilians in vulnerable areas, strict enforcement of the suspension-of-operations ground rules, restoration of free movement across the State, and a credible roadmap for rehabilitation and the return of displaced persons.

They demanded dissolution of the Assembly and fresh elections, alongside an intervention by the Union government to end the violence and initiate an inclusive peace process.

The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities that began in May 2023 has claimed more than 300 lives and displaced thousands. In recent months, clashes involving Kuki and Naga groups have also been reported.