Why PM Modi's first visit to Manipur since unrest matters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Manipur today (13 September). This will be his first visit to the state since ethnic violence broke out between the Meiteis and the Kukis in 2023, leaving over 250 dead and thousands displaced.

Ahead of the prime minister’s visit, security forces have been deployed in large numbers in Manipur. The state has been under President’s Rule since February 2025, after the resignation of N Biren Singh as chief minister. The state assembly has also been suspended.

But what do we know about the trip? And why does it matter?

Let’s take a closer look.

What we know about trip

Modi is visiting Imphal and Churachandpur in the state . Preparations have been ongoing in the areas for the past few days. Banners and posters welcoming the prime minister were put up late on Thursday night across the capital, Imphal.

Modi will first head to Manipur’s Churachandpur district from Mizoram’s Aizawl on Saturday. He is set to arrive in the Kuki-Zo-majority Churachandpur district around 12:30 pm. Modi will meet internally displaced persons (IDPs) and lay the foundation stone for several development projects valued at over Rs 7,300 crore.

This includes the Manipur urban roads, drainage and asset management improvement project worth over Rs 3,600 crore, five National Highway projects worth more than Rs 2,500 crore, the Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) project, and working women’s hostels at nine locations.

He will also address the public at Churachandpur’s Peace Ground. According to reports, tents have been set up at the venue to accommodate around 200 IDPs. Modi is likely to speak for half an hour. The venue is being prepared for an audience of between 8,000 and 10,000 people, including members of the Kuki-Zo community as well as at least nine MLAs.

At around 2:30 pm, Modi will address a public function at Imphal’s Kangla Fort – the traditional seat of power of former Manipuri rulers – and inaugurate several projects worth Rs 1,200 crore. These include the Civil Secretariat at Mantripukhri, the IT SEZ building and the new police headquarters at Mantripukhri.

Billboards announcing the prime minister’s programmes have been erected at Sanjenthong and near the Nupi Lan complex. Temporary wooden barricades have gone up along the seven-kilometre stretch from Imphal Airport to the fort. Workers have also been deployed on clean-up duty and to retouch the road medians.

A 20-foot gate with the inscription “Welcome Shri Narendra Modi ji” has been erected near the BJP headquarters in Manipur. Churachandpur authorities have urged citizens not to bring children under the age of 12 to the rally. They have also asked citizens not to bring items such as keys , pens, water bottles, bags, umbrellas, lighters, matchboxes, sharp objects, or arms and ammunition. The Churachandpur administration has also banned the use, carrying and brandishing of air guns within the district.

Why it matters

Modi’s visit to Churachandpur and Imphal gains significance because these were among the worst-hit areas during the violence.
While Churachandpur is Kuki-dominated, Meiteis are in a majority in Imphal – thus the prime minister and the BJP are sending signals to both communities that they are valued. Violence in the state has slowly ebbed over the past few months.

The Centre also wants to ensure rapprochement between the two communities and to lay out a roadmap for peace. Currently, the borders between valley districts where Meiteis are the majority and the hill districts where Kuki-Zos are in the majority have hardened. Modi’s visit will bring many the hope that a lasting peace is on the horizon and could be an important first step in repairing relations between the two communities.

The choice of Kangla Fort is also significant, being the traditional seat of power of the former Manipuri rulers. The princely kingdom was annexed in 1891.

Retired Lieutenant General L. N. Singh of Imphal told News18: “This is an excellent gesture by the Prime Minister. Whatever has happened in Manipur has caused a deep fracture, and it will take time to heal. His visit will lay the foundation—the first stone—for the rebuilding process. People are looking forward to it with hope, as they believe there could be important announcements for Manipur."

Churachandpur leader Ginza Vualzong added: “The Prime Minister’s visit is historic, as the last time a leader from Delhi came here was nearly 40 years ago. We welcome Shri Narendra Modi and hope that under his leadership, our cries for justice and a secure future will be addressed by granting us a political solution."

Manipur’s Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba has called Modi’s visit “very fortunate.”

“It’s a great fortune that Modi will be listening to the hardships faced by the people… Manipur has had a history of violent clashes in the past. However, no prime minister has visited the state during such times and listened to the people. Modi is the first PM to visit during such hard times," the MP said.

Meanwhile, leading Kuki-Zo groups have dubbed Modi’s trip a “historic and rare occasion.”

“For years, we have been voicing our demand for complete separation from Manipur, seeking a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with a legislature under Article 239A of the Constitution. This demand arises not from convenience, but from necessity—for peace, security, and survival of our people. As the leader of our great nation, we are confident that the Prime Minister will give due recognition to our voice, our pain, and our aspirations,” the statement read.

The Opposition has dismissed the visit, with Congress leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh saying, “This is merely symbolic. It will have no real significance. The people of Manipur have no expectations from this visit."

Ahead of Modi’s visit, over a dozen members of the Phungyar BJP Mandal and Morcha of Manipur Pradesh have resigned.
“We members expressed our deep concern over the present state of affairs within the party and highlighted a lack of consultation, inclusiveness, and respect for grassroots leadership as major reasons,” the members, led by Ngachonmi Ramshang, special invitee, BJP Manipur Pradesh, said in a statement.

However, state BJP leaders have dismissed this as a publicity stunt and an attempt to defame the party. “The resignation is a publicity stunt, trying to defame the BJP during this crucial moment of Modi’s most likely visit to Manipur. Phungyar assembly constituency still has strong BJP executive members,” state BJP leader Awung Shimray Hopingson said.

The Opposition had earlier criticised Modi for not visiting Manipur since the outbreak of the violence.
Meanwhile, the United Naga Council, the top body of Nagas in Manipur, has suspended its trade embargo in all Naga-dominated areas at the request of the state government.

This came as the Coordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of seven valley-based militant outfits, announced a “boycott” of Modi’s visit.

Security out in force

Both state and central forces’ personnel have been deployed in large numbers in and around the nearly 237-acre Kangla Fort in Imphal and the Peace Ground in Churachandpur.

Lt Gen Abhijit S. Pendharkar, general officer commanding (GOC), Spear Corps, has reviewed the security situation in Churachandpur, Imphal, Bishnupur and other locations. Ahead of the visit, Pendharkar met senior officials and troops of the Army, Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Manipur Police and other security forces on duty across the state. He also visited units deployed along the India-Myanmar border to take stock of the situation.

Central security teams, accompanied by state personnel, are conducting round-the-clock inspections of Kangla Fort, and boats of the Manipur Disaster Management Force have been employed for patrolling the moats that surround the fort. Police and paramilitary forces have also been deployed, and bamboo barricades constructed along the route leading to the Peace Ground.

Modi will next head to Assam, where he will inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 9,000 crore.

With inputs from agencies