20 October 2026
A 48-hour statewide strike called by the Native People Committee Manipur (NPCM) disrupted normal life in Manipur.
It was called to protest the killing of three Meitei firewood collectors at Sunurok hills on the boundary of Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts.
Markets, educational institutions and businesses were closed in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts, and public transport stayed off the roads.
The NPCM demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and decisive action against the armed groups responsible.
Strike duration:
48 hours
Valley districts affected:
5
Why it matters for exams: The geography of Manipur's valley and hill districts and the state's civil society bodies are useful for UPSC and state PSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
20 October 2026
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh held a meeting with INDIA bloc leaders in Imphal to review the law and order situation.
The delegation was led by former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and included Congress Legislature Party leader K Meghachandra Singh and Lok Sabha MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
The meeting followed the killing of three civilians by armed miscreants a day earlier.
The party representatives urged the Chief Minister to convene an all-party meeting.
The Chief Minister said he gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured them the matters would be looked into seriously.
Chief Minister:
Yumnam Khemchand Singh
Delegation leader:
Okram Ibobi Singh
Why it matters for exams: Who holds office in Manipur and how the state is governed after President's Rule are asked in state-focus questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
20 October 2026
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Kuki-Zo villager in a forested area of Manipur's Kangpokpi district.
He had gone with another villager, Laldenga, to collect bamboo shoots; Laldenga escaped unhurt.
The killing came a day after three Meitei men were killed near Nongsum Hills in neighbouring Imphal East district.
The Committee on Tribal Unity, a Kuki-Zo organisation, called a 24-hour total shutdown in Kangpokpi from midnight on 20 October.
District:
Kangpokpi
Shutdown:
24 hours
Why it matters for exams: The districts and community organisations of Manipur's hill areas recur in questions on the Northeast.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
21 October 2026
Protesters against the killing of three Meitei men clashed with police outside the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.
Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh and Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam were attending the first Manipur Poomsae Taekwondo Championship inside.
Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the demonstrators.
Effigies of Rajya Sabha MP A Sharda Devi and Govindas Konthoujam were burnt, and Meira Paibi women activists gathered at Sharda Devi's residence.
During the strike on 20 October, protesters had burnt effigies of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and the Home Minister and demanded their resignations, along with that of the Rajya Sabha MP.
Venue:
Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal
Event:
First Manipur Poomsae Taekwondo Championship
Why it matters for exams: Manipur's ministers, its women's movement Meira Paibi and its sporting venues appear in state-focus questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
21 October 2026
Kuki-Zo groups demanded the reimposition of President's Rule in Manipur at a press conference in New Delhi.
The Kuki-Zo Women's Forum said at least 32 Kuki-Zo people had been killed since March 2026 and around 55 houses in 14 Kuki-Zo villages burnt.
Kuki-Zo Council spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said no Kuki-Zo civilian had been killed during President's Rule.
President's Rule was in force in Manipur from February 2025 to February 2026.
The groups also sought a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people.
Kuki-Zo deaths claimed since March 2026:
32
Houses burnt:
about 55 in 14 villages
Why it matters for exams: President's Rule and its use in Manipur are standard polity questions for UPSC and state PSC exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
20 October 2026
Manipur Police arrested three persons in connection with the attack near Nongsum Hills in Imphal East district in which three Meitei men collecting firewood were killed.
ADGP Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo told the media in Imphal that two of them admitted during preliminary interrogation to being part of the assault team.
Security forces recovered 12 firearms and 1,095 live rounds, along with explosives and grenades.
In a separate operation, joint teams searched the area around Sinai camp, a sub-camp of a Suspension of Operations group, and detained 17 people whose identities did not match listed cadres.
Arrested:
3
Firearms recovered:
12
Live rounds:
1,095
Detained near Sinai camp:
17
Why it matters for exams: Internal security in the Northeast, the role of central forces and the Suspension of Operations pact are UPSC themes.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
21 October 2026
Several houses in Khoikai Kuki village, near Chassad village in Manipur's Kamjong district, were set on fire around 5.30 am on 21 October.
The village had been deserted after residents fled amid clashes between the Kuki and Naga communities.
Tamenglong, Noney, Kangpokpi, Ukhrul and Kamjong are among the districts affected by the Kuki-Naga violence.
The same day, Director General of Police Mukesh Singh visited Kamjong with the ADGP (Law and Order) and the DIG of the BSF Sector Headquarters, Manipur.
They held a joint security coordination meeting with 11 Assam Rifles and the BSF and met representatives of Kuki and Naga civil society organisations.
District:
Kamjong
Time of fire:
around 5.30 am
Why it matters for exams: Manipur's border districts and the Kuki-Naga tensions along the Myanmar frontier matter for internal security questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
21 October 2026
Manipur Police observed Police Commemoration Day on 21 October at the Manipur Police Memorial, 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles, Imphal.
Director General of Police Mukesh Singh attended with senior officers.
The names of police and security forces personnel killed in the line of duty were read out.
Wreaths were laid at the memorial stone, and a shok parade was followed by a gun salute.
Date:
21 October
Venue:
Manipur Police Memorial, 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles, Imphal
Why it matters for exams: Police Commemoration Day on 21 October and state police institutions are asked in UPSC, SSC and PSC general knowledge.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The demand of Kuki-Zo groups this week looks back to a recent spell of central rule in Manipur.
President's Rule was imposed on 13 February 2025, four days after N. Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister.
The state Assembly, where the BJP had a majority, was placed under suspended animation.
President's Rule was revoked on 4 February 2026, and Yumnam Khemchand Singh became Chief Minister.
The sanctioned strength of Manipur's council of ministers is 12, including the Chief Minister.
Imposed:
13 February 2025
Revoked:
4 February 2026
Council of ministers (sanctioned):
12
Why it matters for exams: The use of President's Rule in states and the cap on the size of a council of ministers are standard polity topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The 48-hour strike this week was felt across the Imphal Valley, the Meitei-dominated heart of Manipur.
The valley is made up of five districts: Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching.
The hill districts surround the valley; Tamenglong, Noney, Kangpokpi, Ukhrul and Kamjong are among those affected by recent Kuki-Naga clashes.
The ethnic conflict that began in May 2023 is between the valley-based Meitei and the hill-based Kuki communities.
Valley districts:
5
Why it matters for exams: The valley-hill divide is the key to Manipur's geography and politics and is asked in UPSC and state papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Manipur Police, which held its Police Commemoration Day observance this week at the 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles, traces its organised history to 1891.
On 27 April 1891 the British took over the administration of Manipur after a decisive battle with the ruling Prince at Khongjom.
The British then organised the State Military Police of Manipur, the forerunner of the Manipur Rifles, with Political Agent Crawford as its first Commandant.
Imphal Police Station, established in January 1893, is the oldest police station in the state.
On 22 October 1948 the State Military Police was renamed the Manipur Rifles, and Manipur was integrated with India on 15 October 1949.
British takeover after Khongjom:
27 April 1891
Renamed Manipur Rifles:
22 October 1948
Integration with India:
15 October 1949
Why it matters for exams: The Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, the Battle of Khongjom and Manipur's merger in 1949 are standard history questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC