Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Two Kuki legislators walked into the Manipur Legislative Assembly on September 2. Saikul MLA Kimneo Haokip Hangshing and Saitu MLA Haokholet Kipgen arrived at the Imphal complex for the eighth session of the 12th Assembly. This is their first in-person appearance since ethnic violence ripped through the state in May 2023.
The move defies a direct order from the Kuki Inpi Manipur. The apex civil group had instructed all nine Kuki MLAs to skip the sitting, arguing that presence suggests normalcy despite a total lack of political settlement. Kuki representatives had previously only attended via video conference, including a budget session on March 9, 2026. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh previously touted virtual participation as a positive step, stating, "The state was slowly limping back to normalcy."
Other groups want more. Fourteen Kangleipak civil society organizations publicly demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen attend the session, insisting that leaders from every community must move freely to debate the crisis.
The three-day session agenda is packed. Lawmakers plan to address the reported India-Myanmar land-swap deal and various violent incidents. MLA K Meghachandra Singh intends to raise atrocities from the past two years, specifically the abduction and killing of women and children in Jiribam, the Tronglaobi bombing that killed two children, the murder of three church leaders in Saheibung, and a deadly ambush on the Imphal-Tamei road.
Legislators will also push through a slate of new laws. Items include the Manipur Town and Country Planning, Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland, and Goods and Services Tax amendment bills. Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen will introduce the Panchayati Raj amendment, while Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh handles the Fire and Emergency Service Bill. The session also addresses supplementary grants for 2026-27 and resolutions concerning factory and pollution regulations.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 9:46pm
The Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the central government to update the National Register of Citizens in Manipur before the upcoming census. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh pushed the motion through, cementing the state's stance from previous 2022 and 2024 resolutions.
During the session, the Chief Minister tabled several official reports, including audits from the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding state finances and revenue sectors for the 2026 fiscal year. He also presented the First Batch of Demands for Supplementary Grants, totaling 3,861 crore rupees. The funding is earmarked for development projects and resources tied to central schemes, NABARD, and external aid.
Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh dismissed rumors of a land-swap deal with Myanmar, confirming that most border fencing is complete. He called on religious and community leaders to help bridge the state's trust gap. The government also introduced additional legislation, including the Manipur AYUSH Council Bill, the Right to Business and Investment Facilitation Bill, and new regulations for private schools and trade licensing.
Beyond political moves, the government highlighted the resumption of the Imphal-Guwahati bus service as a signal of returning normalcy.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 10:06pm
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh tabled several official papers, including the Comptroller and Auditor General reports for the 2024-25 fiscal year and the 2026 Town and Country Planning ordinance. He also secured the House's approval for the session's time allocation through the Business Advisory Committee report. The 3,861 crore rupee supplementary demand package breaks down to 12 crore charged on the Consolidated Fund, with the remaining 3,849 crore requiring a floor vote. Roughly 90 percent of this funding targets centrally sponsored schemes and external aid projects.
While the Assembly backed the NRC resolution, the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation labeled the discussion incomplete. Group co-convener Longjam Ratankumar argued the resolution failed to address the public's primary demand of using 1951 as the base year for updating the registry. The group insists the Census remains a non-starter until New Delhi issues a formal order deferring it. The Committee on Protection of Meetei Victims echoed these sentiments, urging the government to prioritize a damage assessment and a rehabilitation bill for displaced families in Moreh.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 1:49am
BJP North-East in-charge Sambit Patra touched down in Imphal for high-level party talks and publicly thanked the Prime Minister and Home Minister for bowing to local pressure to defer the census. While Patra stopped short of setting a firm date for the National Register of Citizens, he signaled that the federal government is prepping to tackle the registry in due course. Party heavyweights, including Rajya Sabha MP A Sharda and K Sharat, met to align on the strategy.
The session hit a somber note early on as Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh led an obituary reference for four former assembly members: Longjam Ningthemjao Singh, K. Envey, Dr. Md. Maniruddin Sheikh, and A.S. Arthur. Lawmakers held a two-minute silence for the deceased before diving back into the legislative fight.
Opposition leader Okram Ibobi Singh challenged the government on the floor, pointing out that with only five Congress MLAs, the party fell short of the ten-member quorum required to force a formal adjournment motion. Despite the procedural block, Ibobi pressed for more transparency, noting that the streets remain restless with women vendors holding overnight vigils demanding clarity on the census and citizenship registry.
Beyond the NRC, the assembly cleared a stack of bills including the Manipur Private School (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2024, and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The government also moved on the Manipur Unified (Trade, Shop and Establishment Licensing) Bill, 2026, aimed at overhauling commercial permit protocols across the state.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 10:30am
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen participated in the proceedings via video link, according to assembly records. Along with her, Henglep MLA Letzamang Haokip also joined the session virtually. While CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh framed the limited physical return as a victory for peace, the move ignited a fierce backlash. The Kuki Human Rights Council branded the participation a total betrayal of the community, citing the loss of over 250 Kuki lives and the ongoing displacement of families who remain trapped in relief camps.
The rights body challenged the MLAs' decision to step into the Imphal complex, arguing that the city remains unsafe for most Kuki residents. They warned that appearing in the house undermines the community's push for a separate administration and ignores the reality of those left behind. Local leaders are now calling on village chiefs and church heads to force the MLAs to account for their choices and shun the remaining days of the session.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 5:50pm
The legislative showdown intensified when Congress attempted to push an adjournment motion to force a deep-dive debate on the NRC. The ruling BJP blocked the move, opting instead to reaffirm existing resolutions from 2022 and 2024. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh defended the strategy, telling the house he attended a New Delhi meeting with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Union Home Minister Amit Shah where the census deferment was finalized. He insisted a formal Gazette notification from the Centre is coming within days.
Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh waded into the fray on September 3, pointing to his own administrative history to bolster the current push. He revealed that his administration sent a formal request to then-Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on February 10, 2019, seeking an NRC exercise. He claimed his government’s early efforts were backed by long-standing demands from groups like the All Manipur Students Union and the All Manipur Students Coordinating Committee, which have pressured the state on illegal immigration since the 1980s.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 10:00pm
Home Minister Konthoujam Konthoujam confirmed that four suspects are now in custody for the May 13, 2026, abduction and murder of six Liangmai Naga civilians in Leilon Vaiphei. Investigators have identified four additional accomplices who remain at large. The case, which began when 18 villagers were snatched while returning from a wedding, saw 12 survivors released before the others were found killed and dismembered. The Home Minister cleared a local police constable of involvement, noting he was on official duty at the time, and stated that the NIA has found no evidence linking KNF-P leadership to the massacre.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh revealed that he and a delegation of Naga MLAs personally interviewed the victims' families, who provided key leads for the ongoing NIA investigation. During the heated session, the Home Minister confirmed that the state's ethnic violence death toll has reached 306, with 49 people still missing. Congress MLA K. Ranjit Singh pushed back against the state's reliance on the NIA, accusing the government of shifting its responsibilities to the federal agency. The Chief Minister dismissed these critiques as unfortunate, maintaining that the state is actively pressuring investigators to expedite justice.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 9:50pm
The pressure on the government is mounting from the streets. Nahakpam Shanta, speaking for 14 Kangleipak CSOs, pushed back against Saikot MLA Paolianlal, challenging the lawmaker to provide legal documentation to support his claims regarding migration and population figures based on the 2001 Census. Shanta insisted that tribal representatives produce evidence if they want to contest the state's historical records.
Shanta pointed to the 1948 election held under the Manipur Constitution Act, which saw 43 elected representatives and five royal nominees, as the starting point for population data. He argued that the abolition of the Inner Line Permit system in 1950 and the enactment of the Scheduled Tribes Order during that same window necessitate 1951 as the only valid reference point for the registry.
Protesters from the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation are also turning up the heat. Treasurer Sunil Karam labeled the government's latest resolution hollow, noting it lacks any specified base year. He demanded a written guarantee from New Delhi that the census will stay on ice until an NRC process using 1951 as the baseline is firmly locked in, warning that failure to act could spark renewed bloodshed.
Updated at 5th September 2026 at 1:48pm
Tensions flared outside the chamber on September 4 when a bomb detonated at the Bishnunaha, Yairipok residence of Congress Legislative Party leader K. Meghachandra. While no injuries occurred, the blast triggered sharp backlash from the Sadar Hills District Congress Committee and the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee. Party officials blasted the government for failing to secure elected representatives and questioned why police have ignored repeated threats against Congress members.
Meghachandra vowed to press his agenda despite the attack, slamming the state government for its lack of a concrete plan to restore peace. He stood by his demand for an NRC update using 1951 as the base year, a move he claims is essential to ending the regional conflict.
Meanwhile, the 14 CSOs Kangleipak publicly endorsed the Assembly's recent NRC resolution. Convenor Nahakpam Shanta labeled it a major win for the movement, while doubling down on the demand to set 1951 as the mandatory baseline. Shanta hit back at Saikot MLA Paolianlal, challenging the lawmaker to produce legal documents to back his assertions regarding population figures and tribal representation. He argued that since the state's inner line permit system vanished in 1950, only the 1951 registry offers a legitimate historical starting point.
The Congress also took aim at Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, questioning the timing of his recent visit to Leimakhong alongside Saitu MLA Haokholet Kipgen. Party critics dismissed the trip as a political maneuver, claiming the pair stayed away during the height of the crisis and are now using local suffering to juice their numbers for the 2027 polls.
Updated at 5th September 2026 at 5:49pm
The Sadar Hills District Congress Committee confirmed the attack on CLP leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh occurred at roughly 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. The party organization decried the bombing as a direct assault on democratic principles and pressed for immediate police action to safeguard political figures.
Meghachandra told reporters that police arrived at the Yairipok Bishnunaha scene immediately following the blast. He remains focused on his legislative agenda, stating, "Right after the blast, the police came immediately. I will continue my demand for justice in this state, and I will fight for justice."
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