Apply the Prafulla Kumar Mahanta Model in Manipur

When politics fails to deliver peace, leadership must make sacrifices—Manipur’s tinderbox crisis demands decisive action

By MANISH ANAND

NEW DELHI, June 9, 2025 – The recurring violence in Manipur once again highlights the state’s deep-seated ethnic fault lines. Over four months have passed since the imposition of President’s Rule, yet a viral video showing a security forces’ vehicle reversing to flee from a violent mob captures the fragile state of law and order.

Fresh violence erupted in Imphal Valley on Saturday after mob protests over the arrest of five volunteers from the Meitei-affiliated Arambai Tenggol group. In response, curfew was imposed in Bishnupur, and prohibitory orders on gatherings of more than five people were enforced in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, and Kakching districts. Internet restrictions were also reintroduced in the affected areas.

Mobs storming police stations has become almost routine in Manipur. Since the 2022 unrest triggered by a High Court order recommending Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community, peace remains elusive.

Veterans of the Northeast who have seen and managed past ethnic unrest are now disillusioned. The failure of President’s Rule to restore normalcy should be a wake-up call for security planners in New Delhi.

Peace will remain out of reach as long as political compulsions continue to override effective security measures. The very idea of the state is being challenged by Manipur’s continuing ethnic violence. And politics can only endure when the idea of the state holds.

If political sacrifice is what it takes to restore peace, then the ruling establishment in New Delhi must not hesitate. The priority must be to create conditions where Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga communities can move freely and safely throughout the state. The fact that even Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla reportedly cannot move freely across the state is a glaring sign of the breakdown in authority.

In this context, the example of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is instructive. Twice Chief Minister of Assam—in 1985–1990 and 1996–2001—Mahanta ultimately stepped back from political ambition to prioritize Assam’s peace. He granted full autonomy to security agencies to combat ULFA’s insurgency, even at the cost of being branded anti-Assamese. That decision, recalled by a veteran Assam observer, was key to neutralizing ULFA and restoring stability.

Today, Mahanta may be a marginal figure in Assam politics, but his legacy as a leader who put peace above power remains.

Manipur needs such leadership now—fearless enough to make sacrifices, focused enough to restore the authority of the state, and resolute enough to break the cycle of ethnic unrest. Peace cannot be negotiated through appeasement or hesitation; it must be pursued through courage and clarity.

(This is an opinion piece; views expressed solely belong to the author)

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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