Manipur: Kuki-Zo Groups Denounce Shaurya Chakra Award to CRPF Officer
A Kuki-Zo tribal group has condemned the Indian government’s conferment of the Shaurya Chakra to a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer allegedly involved in the November 2024 killing of 10 civilians in Manipur, calling it a “state endorsement of the extrajudicial killing.”
Kuki-Zo Woman Survived the Violence, but Not the Wait for Justice
Abducted and gang-raped at the age of 18 during the early days of violence in Manipur, a Kuki-Zo woman died waiting for justice on January 10, 2026, in a hospital in Guwahati, more than 500 kilometres away. Her death has triggered renewed outrage and demands for accountability and structural overhaul in Manipur’s administration.
Manipur Rape Survivor Dies After 20 Months in Trauma Care; Mother Pleads for Justice
A 20-year-old Kuki-Zo tribal woman who was abducted, gang-raped and left for dead during the early days of the ethnic violence in Manipur died on January 10 from medical complications caused by the injuries she suffered nearly 20 months earlier. Her mother, speaking to Newsreel Asia, said all she wants now is justice for the heinous crime.
Supreme Court Orders Full Forensic Test of ‘Manipur Tapes’ on CM Biren Singh
The Supreme Court has directed the Manipur government to send the full 48-minute audio recording, allegedly featuring former chief minister Biren Singh discussing his role in the 2023 ethnic violence, to the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) in Gujarat for voice analysis and authentication. The violence left over 250 people dead, displaced tens of thousands, and areas inhabited by the Kuki-Zo tribes remain cut off from Meitei-dominated regions to this day.
Manipur: Centre Refuses UT Demand Ignoring Kuki-Zo’s De Facto Separation
The Union home ministry reportedly held talks with two armed Kuki-Zo groups on November 6 and 7. The groups said they could no longer live under the Manipur government. The Centre said it understood their pain but would not create a new Union territory. That policy now stands at odds with the reality of Manipur.
Govt Forensic Lab Claims ‘Manipur Tapes’ Tampered With
The Indian government’s forensic laboratory has told the Supreme Court that audio tapes allegedly implicating Biren N. Singh, former chief minister of Manipur, in ethnic violence were tampered with and cannot be used for voice comparison.
Ladakh Protest Curbed by Internet Ban and Police Deployment
A planned silent march by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Oct. 18 was blocked in Leh, Ladakh, by police deployment and a mobile internet shutdown. In a democracy, a demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards must be heard, not silenced.
Why Has Biren Singh Been Included in Manipur BJP’s Bid to Regain Power?
N. Biren Singh, the former Chief Minister of Manipur, has arrived in Delhi with a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators and former ministers to seek the revival of an elected government in the state. His inclusion deserves scrutiny, as the Supreme Court has ordered a forensic examination of audio recordings that allegedly feature his voice making remarks linked by petitioners to the ethnic violence. The visit also comes two weeks after a deadly attack on an Assam Rifles convoy that intelligence agencies suspect was politically motivated.
Manipur: Assam Rifles Ambush Raises Questions on AFSPA Rollback Strategy
Two soldiers from the Assam Rifles were killed and five others injured in an ambush by armed attackers on Sept. 19 as their convoy was passing through a crowded area in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, which had recently lost its designation under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The incident has exposed serious flaws in how security laws have been withdrawn from conflict-hit parts of the state.
Justice Denied in Manipur, Modi Brings Development Instead
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur on September 13, more than 28 months after the outbreak of violence, offered development schemes worth over 73 billion rupees (7,300 crore). What he did not offer was the one thing most needed in the state. Justice. This reveals the Centre’s unwillingness to confront the failures of governance that enabled the violence in the first place.
Journalist Shot Days After Reporting on Assam’s Eviction Drive
A journalist from Nagaland in Northeast India was shot twice during a reporting trip in the neighbouring state of Manipur. The attack came days after a senior political leader in Nagaland publicly rebuked him for airing critical views on the Assam government’s eviction drive.
UN Issues Fresh Warning of Widespread Starvation in Gaza
Amid renewed Israeli military operations in Gaza City on Aug. 29, UN aid agencies repeated their warning that the territory is heading toward large-scale famine. A top UN humanitarian official said at least half a million people are already facing the worst levels of food insecurity, and 160,000 more could soon fall into the same category, as hunger and disease rise across the devastated enclave.
State and Centre Failed to Prevent Manipur Violence: Independent Tribunal
An independent inquiry into the ethnic violence that began in Manipur in May 2023, based on survivor testimonies and first-person accounts, finds consistent failures by state institutions, security forces and political leaders. The report holds both the state and central governments responsible for failing to uphold constitutional protections and deliver justice.
‘Manipur Tapes’: Supreme Court Likely to Review Fresh Forensic Report on July 28
The Supreme Court is likely to review a new forensic report on audio recordings known as the “Manipur Tapes,” which are alleged to reveal former Chief Minister Biren Singh’s role in the ethnic violence that began in May 2023. The Court ordered a fresh analysis earlier this year and has tentatively listed the matter for July 28, after previously setting a deadline for the week commencing July 21.
Israel and Iran in Open War, the World Remains Deeply Divided
Israel and Iran are engaged in direct military confrontation, following an Israeli air and drone assault on June 13 targeting critical nuclear and military installations deep inside Iran. Let’s look at the roots of this confrontation and examine why public opinion on this conflict around the world, including in India, remains deeply divided.
Sri Lanka’s New Mass Grave Reveals the Failure of ‘Peace’ Through Violence
The discovery of a new mass grave in Sri Lanka has once again exposed a truth many have long chosen to ignore—when a government uses violence in the name of peace, it does not stop with those initially targeted. It normalises a dangerous value. That value shapes the system, and in time, becomes the state’s default method of control. Eventually, it turns against everyone.
7 Maoists Killed in Chhattisgarh; Rights Groups Allege Custodial Executions
Seven Maoist leaders were killed over three consecutive days in armed encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, according to police. Civil rights organisations have alleged that at least some of them were picked up from a village, held in custody, tortured and then executed.
Can Manipur Govt Be Restored When Legislators Still Can’t Cross ‘Borders’?
Ten legislators from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have reportedly demanded the restoration of a “popular government” in Manipur, citing the support of 44 MLAs and calling for an end to President’s Rule. Their demand comes even as the ground realities in the state—gripped by prolonged ethnic violence since May 3, 2023—remain unchanged. The central constitutional question is whether an elected government can be restored when one section of legislators remains physically and functionally excluded from the legislative process.
Bullets or Dialogue? The Tough Choices in Tackling Insurgency
As security forces wage an all-out war against Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh, citizens remain divided over how governments should handle insurgencies—whether to respond decisively with military force or first sit down for talks. The answer isn’t as straightforward as we’d like, because rebellions and insurgencies are almost always messy, complex affairs. But let’s unpack this clearly.
‘No One Came’: Over 45 Manipur Villages Burned Say They Got ‘Zero’ Help
Two years after their homes were torched and their lives uprooted, residents of 45 Kuki-Zo villages from Manipur’s Chandel district are still waiting for government recognition, let alone compensation or relief. Not one official relief camp has been set up for them, no state support has reached them in their name, and the government continues to deny that their villages were even affected in the May 2023 violence.