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Internal Security April 24, 2026 6 min read Daily brief · #5 of 43

Manipur Violence: Three killed in two separate incidents in Ukhrul district

Three people were killed in two separate armed incidents in Manipur's Ukhrul district on April 24, 2026, as violence between Kuki-Zo and Naga (Tangkhul) comm...

GS Paper 3 (Internal Security Insurgency) and GS Paper 2 (Centre-State Relations Governance)

What Happened

  • Three people were killed in two separate armed incidents in Manipur's Ukhrul district on April 24, 2026, as violence between Kuki-Zo and Naga (Tangkhul) communities escalated beyond the Meitei-Kuki axis that had defined the conflict since May 2023.
  • In the first incident, two village volunteers from the Kuki-Zo community were killed in armed attacks on villages in Ukhrul district; two houses were also set on fire.
  • In the second incident, one Naga civilian was killed; this follows an April 18 ambush on National Highway-202 at T.M. Kasom village in which two Tangkhul Naga civilians, including a retired soldier, were killed.
  • In the month preceding these killings, seven people from both communities had been killed, each side attributing the attacks to the other.
  • Displaced persons from affected villages staged protests demanding government intervention and adequate security deployment.
  • The new state government — which took charge in February 2026 after nearly a year of President's Rule — faces immediate pressure to contain violence that has now spread to a previously less-affected district.

Static Topic Bridges

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) — Application in Manipur

AFSPA grants special powers to the armed forces operating in areas declared as "disturbed areas" under the Act, allowing them to search, arrest without warrant, and use force, including lethal force, under certain conditions. Ukhrul district falls within the AFSPA-designated disturbed area in Manipur.

  • Section 3: Empowers the Central or State Government to declare any area as a "disturbed area" where the use of armed forces is necessary to assist civil power.
  • Section 4: Grants members of the armed forces powers to fire upon or use force against any person violating law or order; to arrest without warrant; to enter and search any premises.
  • Section 6: No prosecution or legal proceeding can be initiated against armed forces personnel for acts done under AFSPA without the prior sanction of the Central Government — the most contested provision.
  • AFSPA was partially revoked in some Manipur districts in 2022 but was reimposed in hill districts after the May 2023 ethnic violence escalated; it was further extended to some valley districts in late 2024.
  • The Kuki-Zo Council has sought full imposition of AFSPA across Manipur, arguing that central paramilitary forces under AFSPA-cover would replace a state administration they regard as biased.
  • Naga groups and civil society organisations have long demanded full withdrawal of AFSPA from the Northeast.

Connection to this news: The fresh Kuki-Naga clashes in AFSPA-covered Ukhrul district highlight the paradox: the law provides operational latitude to security forces but does not by itself resolve the underlying ethnic tensions. The security vacuum in hill districts during the prolonged conflict has allowed village-level armed groups to proliferate.

Manipur Ethnic Conflict — Structural Background

The ongoing conflict in Manipur, which began on May 3, 2023, originated from a dispute over Scheduled Tribe (ST) status but reflects deeper structural divisions between valley-based communities and hill-based tribal groups.

  • Geographical-ethnic divide: The Imphal Valley (approximately 10% of the state's area) holds about 57% of the population, predominantly Meitei; the surrounding hill districts (90% of area) are home to about 43% of the population belonging to Naga and Kuki-Zo tribal groups.
  • Proximate trigger (2023): A Manipur High Court order of April 14, 2023, directing the state to consider recommending Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community — seen by Kuki-Zo groups as threatening their existing ST-based reservations in jobs and land.
  • Political representation: Of 60 Manipur Assembly constituencies, 40 are in the valley and 20 are in the hill districts, giving valley communities structural dominance in the legislature.
  • New fault line: From April 2026, fresh armed clashes between Kuki-Zo and Naga (Tangkhul) groups in Ukhrul district represent a second axis of conflict, distinct from the primary Meitei-Kuki confrontation in the plains.
  • Human cost (as of late 2024): Over 258 killed, approximately 60,000 displaced since May 2023.

Connection to this news: The Ukhrul killings are significant because they show the conflict morphing — from a Meitei-Kuki binary into a Kuki-Naga confrontation in the hill districts — creating multiple simultaneous fronts for a state government that assumed power only weeks before these incidents.

President's Rule (Article 356) and State Reconstruction

Manipur witnessed the imposition of President's Rule from February 13, 2025, after the Chief Minister resigned amid the ongoing ethnic crisis. President's Rule was revoked on February 4, 2026, when a new government was sworn in.

  • Article 356: Empowers the President to assume the functions of a state government if satisfied, on the Governor's report or otherwise, that the constitutional machinery of the state has failed.
  • Under President's Rule, the Governor administers the state as the President's agent; the State Legislature is suspended or dissolved; Parliament assumes the state's legislative powers.
  • Article 355: Imposes on the Union a duty to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance, and to ensure that every state government is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution — often cited as the precursor invoked before imposing Article 356.
  • President's Rule in Manipur was extended for six months in August 2025, requiring Parliament's approval under Article 356(3), which mandates approval by both Houses within two months of proclamation.
  • The new government took charge in February 2026 with a coalition mandate that includes both valley and hill constituencies.

Connection to this news: The resumption of large-scale violence within weeks of the new government taking charge tests whether the political transition has substantively changed the security dynamics, or whether the structural drivers of the conflict remain unaddressed.

Security Governance in Conflict Zones — Centre-State Framework

Internal security management in India follows a layered Centre-State framework, with specific mechanisms for conflict-affected states.

  • Article 246 read with Seventh Schedule, List I, Entry 2: Defence forces are a Union subject; deployment of Army/paramilitary in states requires a formal requisition from the state or a Central decision under relevant statutes.
  • Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs): The Union Home Ministry deploys CAPFs (including CRPF, BSF, ITBP, etc.) in states facing internal disturbances — a key constitutional tool to supplement state police without formal military deployment under AFSPA.
  • Unified Command Structure: In Manipur, a Unified Command comprising Army, Assam Rifles, CAPFs, and State Police operates under a single operational authority — a model used in insurgency-affected Northeast states.
  • National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008: Arms caches, weapon trafficking, and organised armed attacks by militant groups fall within NIA jurisdiction, allowing central investigation independent of state police.

Connection to this news: The pattern of organised armed attacks — ambushes on national highways, coordinated assaults on villages, arson — points to structured village-level militias rather than spontaneous mob violence, raising questions about intelligence failures and the adequacy of the Unified Command's area domination operations in Ukhrul.

Key Facts & Data

  • Date of current incidents: April 24, 2026 (Ukhrul district, Manipur)
  • Communities involved: Kuki-Zo and Naga (Tangkhul) — a new axis distinct from the primary Meitei-Kuki conflict
  • Fatalities in current incidents: 3 killed; 4 injured (across the two incidents on April 24)
  • Prior incident: April 18, 2026 — 2 Naga civilians killed in highway ambush, Ukhrul district
  • Conflict start date: May 3, 2023 (Meitei-Kuki violence)
  • Total killed (as of Nov 2024): 258+ persons; approximately 60,000 displaced
  • AFSPA status: In force in Ukhrul and hill districts of Manipur
  • President's Rule period: February 13, 2025 – February 4, 2026
  • Key constitutional provisions: Article 355 (Union's duty), Article 356 (President's Rule), Section 3 and 4 of AFSPA 1958
  • Manipur Assembly seats: 60 total — 40 valley, 20 hill
  • Trigger of 2023 conflict: Manipur HC order dated April 14, 2023 on Meitei ST status recommendation
On this page
  1. What Happened
  2. Static Topic Bridges
  3. Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) — Application in Manipur
  4. Manipur Ethnic Conflict — Structural Background
  5. President's Rule (Article 356) and State Reconstruction
  6. Security Governance in Conflict Zones — Centre-State Framework
  7. Key Facts & Data
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