Centre gives another extension to commission probing Manipur violence

The Centre on Tuesday gave another extension till May 20, 2026 to a Commission of Inquiry to submit its report on the probe into the 2023 Manipur violence that claimed 260 lives, a government notification said.

The three-member panel, headed by former chief justice of the Gauhati High Court Ajai Lamba, was formed on June 4, 2023 in the aftermath of the ethnic violence which broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023. The other two members of the commission included retired IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and retired IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar.

In the notification issued by the Union Home Ministry, the commission will now submit its report to the Central government "as soon as possible but not later than the 20th May, 2026".

The inquiry commission was mandated to probe the causes and spread of the violence and riots targeting members of different communities.

The commission was supposed to submit its report to the Central government "as soon as possible but not later than six months from the date of its first sitting", a notification issued on June 4, 2023 had said.

The panel has been given extension thrice to submit its report since then--September 13, 2024, December 3, 2024, and May 20, 2025-- making the latest order a fourth one.

In its last extension, the Union Home Ministry gave the commission time till November 20 to submit its report.

According to the terms of reference of the commission, it would probe the sequence of events leading to the violence, lapses or dereliction of duty in this regard on the part of any of the responsible authorities and individuals and adequacy of the administrative measures taken to prevent, and to deal with the violence and riots.

The commission shall look into the complaints or allegations that may be made before it by any individual or association, the ministry had said.

According to the June 4, 2023 notification of the home ministry, large-scale violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, which claimed the lives of many residents of the state besides injuring several others.

People's houses and properties were burnt down as a result of the arson, rendering many of them homeless, it had said.

The notification had said the Manipur government on May 29, 2023, recommended the constitution of a judicial commission to look into the causes and associated factors of the crisis, and the unfortunate incidents that took place on May 3, 2023, and afterwards under the provisions of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952.

Based on the recommendation, the Centre had appointed a commission for the purpose of making an inquiry into the violence.

The violence in Manipur was triggered after Kuki-Zo tribals living in the hill districts protested over a high court recommendation for granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community members.

At least 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups based in the adjoining hills.

Manipur is currently under President's rule, which was imposed on February 13, 2025, after the then-chief minister N Biren Singh resigned on February 9.

Since taking over as the governor of Manipur on January 3, Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been meeting a cross-section of people, taking feedback from them on how to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.