Manipur violence: 306 killed, 49 missing since May 2023
Official figures placed the toll from Manipur's ongoing ethnic violence at 306 dead and 49 missing, as of end-August 2026, since the unrest began on 3 May 2023.
Displacement remains large-scale: around 60,000 people were rendered homeless at the peak of the crisis; roughly 36,000 have since been resettled, while about 24,000 continue to live in relief camps.
The Union Home Ministry sanctioned over ₹947 crore for relief and rehabilitation, covering relief-camp operations, compensation to displaced families, and construction of pre-fabricated temporary housing.
The state passed through a period of President's Rule (imposed February 2025 after the elected government's resignation, revoked in early 2026) before a new state government was constituted; central paramilitary forces and provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act continue to apply in parts of the state.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA)
AFSPA grants special powers to the armed forces operating in areas declared "disturbed" to maintain public order, most significantly powers of arrest without warrant, search without warrant, and use of force (including to the extent of causing death) against persons acting in contravention of law, subject to safeguards. It was originally enacted in 1958 to deal with insurgency in the Naga Hills and has since been extended, in varying forms, across parts of the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir (until 2019).
Amid the continuing unrest, AFSPA's "disturbed area" declaration has been reimposed over parts of the Manipur valley that had earlier been exempted, illustrating how the Act's area-specific, periodically-reviewed character allows the security calculus to be recalibrated as ground conditions change — a recurring UPSC theme on the balance between security powers and civil liberties.
Article 355 and Article 356 — Union's Duty and President's Rule
Article 355 casts a duty on the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance, and to ensure that state governance is carried on in accordance with the Constitution. Article 356 is the enforcement mechanism: it empowers the President to issue a proclamation assuming central control of a state's administration if satisfied that the state government cannot be carried on in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Key Details
- A proclamation under Article 356 must be approved by both Houses of Parliament within two months; if approved, it initially lasts six months and can be extended, subject to a maximum of three years, through periodic parliamentary approval (with additional conditions after one year, per the 44th Amendment, 1978).
- The 38th Amendment (1975) had made the President's "satisfaction" non-justiciable; the 44th Amendment (1978) removed this bar, restoring judicial reviewability — affirmed in S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994), which laid down that the proclamation is subject to judicial review and floor tests are the proper way to test majority.
- In Manipur, President's Rule was imposed in February 2025 following the resignation of the state's Chief Minister amid the unrest, and was revoked in early 2026 once a new state government was constituted.
The Manipur episode is a live example of Article 355's protective duty being invoked through Article 356 when a state's law-and-order machinery is seen to have broken down — a frequently tested static-dynamic pairing in GS Paper 2/3.
Internal Security Architecture: Central Armed Police Forces in Aid of Civil Power
Under the Constitution's federal scheme, "public order" and "police" are State List subjects (Entry 1 and 2, List II), but the Union can deploy Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to assist state administration during internal disturbances, and can order deployment of the Army in aid of civil power under executive authority read with Article 355's duty.
Key Details
- CAPFs deployed in internal-disturbance situations include the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF, the lead force for internal security duties), Assam Rifles (also designated the lead counter-insurgency force in the Northeast, administratively under the Ministry of Home Affairs but operationally under the Army), and other central forces as required.
- Relief and rehabilitation in such situations is coordinated through the Ministry of Home Affairs' disaster/relief allocations, distinct from the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 framework used for natural disasters.
- Displacement caused by internal conflict situations (like Manipur's) is typically addressed as internal displacement, not covered by any dedicated refugee law in India, relying instead on ad hoc state and central relief schemes.
The scale of displacement (tens of thousands of IDPs) and continuing camp populations underline gaps in India's institutional framework for handling conflict-induced internal displacement, a recurring Mains discussion point on internal security and governance.
- Deaths in Manipur violence since 3 May 2023: 306 (as of end-August 2026); missing: 49.
- Peak displacement: approximately 60,000 people; around 36,000 resettled, approximately 24,000 still in relief camps as of September 2026.
- Central relief and rehabilitation sanction: over ₹947 crore (including relief-camp funding and compensation for displaced persons).
- President's Rule in Manipur: imposed February 2025, revoked in early 2026.
- AFSPA "disturbed area" declarations require periodic review (six-monthly) under the Act as amended.
- Article 356 proclamation: needs parliamentary approval within two months; maximum continuance of three years through periodic renewal.