Imphal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met the victims of the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur. It was PM Modi's first visit to Manipur since the violence broke out in the northeastern state in May 2023.
The Prime Minister took a 65 km road trip from the Imphal airport to Churachandpur due to heavy rainfall in the area. Notably, Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated area in the state, was the epicentre of the violence.
PM Modi met the people in the relief camps at the Peace Ground in Churachandpur. He was also accompanied by other officials, including Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
Locals presented him with the traditional Zomie shawl and Thadou Kuki shawl. A girl child also gifted the PM a portrait of him.
PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 7,300 crore at Churachandpur, including the Manipur Urban Roads and drainage and asset management improvement project worth over Rs 3,600 crore, five National Highway projects worth more than Rs 2,500 crore, the Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) project, and the Working Women Hostels at nine locations.
Later in the day, he will visit Meitei-dominated Manipur's capital Imphal. He will also meet people affected by the violence. He will inaugurate multiple development projects worth more than Rs 1,200 crore.
The ethic violence broke out on May 3, 2025, in Churachandpur between members of the Kuki and Meitei communities. Over 250 people were killed in the clashes, while over 1,000 were injured. More than 60,000 people were also displaced from their homes due to the violence.
Congress On PM Modi's Manipur Visit:
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday criticised PM Modi for not visiting Manipur earlier, holding him responsible for "allowing" the violence in the state to continue.
"I am glad that he has decided after 2 years that it's worth his visiting. He should have visited much longer before. It's very unfortunate that he has allowed what is happening there to happen for so long, so many people to get killed, and so many people to go through so much strife before he has decided to visit," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in Kerala's Wayanad.
