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Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said certain elements were working against his government’s efforts to restore peace and normality in the State.
Addressing a programme in Imphal West district’s Singjamei, his Assembly constituency, on Wednesday (June 17, 2026), he said the continuing violence has affected developmental projects.
“There have been several incidents of unrest after I became the Chief Minister. The concentration on maintaining law and order has made it hard for us to focus on development,” Mr. Singh said.
‘Have a duty’
He, however, said the law and order situation could not be an excuse for not pushing developmental projects. “We cannot run away from our duties,” he said.
The Chief Minister recalled his visits to conflict-hit areas and meetings with people of all three major communities — Kuki, Meitei, and Naga — across the State to appeal for peace and reconciliation.
“I believe there are some people who do not want peace in our land. Some people presume that peace would rob them of their income,” he said.
Mr. Singh became the Chief Minister on February 4, almost a year after President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur. He served as the Speaker of the State Assembly from March 2017 to March 2022.
The ethnic violence in Manipur — the first between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities and then between the Kuki-Zos and Nagas — since May 2023 has claimed at least 270 human lives and displaced more than 62,000 others.
30 extremist sites destroyed
Meanwhile, the Manipur police said combined teams of the Army, paramilitary forces, and State police dismantled about 30 bunkers, outposts, and strategic camp sites of extremist groups in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district during the 24 hours since June 16.
The police said in a statement that 11 rifles and six bullet-proof vests were among the arms and ammunition recovered during the period. “Intelligence-based combing, cordon, and search operations are being carried out extensively to nab those involved in extortion and criminal activities in the State,” it said.
Published – June 18, 2026 04:26 pm IST
