Amid fresh unrest, Home Secretary reviews Manipur security situation

The Union Home Secretary convened a high-level security review meeting on Manipur amid fresh unrest in the state. The review addressed a critical security va...

What Happened

The Union Home Secretary convened a high-level security review meeting on Manipur amid fresh unrest in the state.
The review addressed a critical security vacuum created by the withdrawal of approximately 88 companies (roughly 8,500 personnel) of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) from Manipur for election duty deployment in West Bengal and other poll-bound states.
Among the key concerns discussed was the emergence of new conflict between Kuki-Zo and Naga communities in districts such as Kangpokpi, compounding the existing Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict that has persisted since May 2023.
The immediate trigger for fresh Naga-Kuki clashes was an April 18 ambush in which two Naga civilians were killed by suspected Kuki militants, prompting the United Naga Council (UNC) to call a three-day shutdown. A subsequent attempt by Kuki youths to lift the blockade triggered direct clashes on April 21.
Following representations by the state government, the Centre confirmed that additional CAPF companies would be redeployed to Manipur after the conclusion of the West Bengal elections, with 184 companies to remain in the state.

Static Topic Bridges

Article 355 — Centre's Constitutional Duty to Protect States

Article 355 of the Indian Constitution imposes an explicit duty on the Union: "It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution."

Article 355 is a non-discretionary obligation — the Centre must act when internal disturbances threaten state governance.
It is the constitutional basis for deploying CAPFs in states facing insurgency or ethnic conflict, without invoking President's Rule under Article 356.
Article 355 creates the duty; Article 356 provides the mechanism (President's Rule) when that duty cannot be fulfilled through normal means.
Historical invocations: Punjab militancy (1980s–90s), Assam (ULFA insurgency), North-East insurgencies.

Connection to this news: The Home Secretary's review and redeployment of CAPFs to Manipur is a direct exercise of the Centre's duty under Article 355 — maintaining order without invoking President's Rule.

Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 — Section 4 Powers

AFSPA grants the armed forces sweeping powers in areas declared "disturbed" by the Central or State government. Manipur (excluding the Imphal Municipal Council area) has been under AFSPA since 1980.

Section 3: Empowers the Central Government or the Governor to declare any area a "disturbed area."
Section 4: Grants authorized army officers the power to (a) use force, even to cause death, against persons acting against law; (b) arrest without warrant any person who has committed or is suspected of committing a cognizable offence; (c) enter and search any premises; (d) stop, search, and seize any vehicle suspected of carrying proclaimed offenders or ammunition.
Section 6: Prosecution of army personnel under AFSPA requires prior sanction of the Central Government — creating de facto immunity.
Manipur's status: AFSPA applies to all hill districts and the valley except Imphal Municipal Council area.
The Supreme Court upheld AFSPA as constitutional, ruling that powers under Sections 4 and 5 are not arbitrary or unreasonable.

Connection to this news: The presence and withdrawal of CAPFs in Manipur operates alongside AFSPA-covered army deployments. The security vacuum created by CAPF withdrawal is more acute because AFSPA-covered army units and CAPFs serve different operational roles.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) — Structure and Mandate

CAPFs are seven para-military forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), distinct from the Indian Army (which falls under the Ministry of Defence).

The seven CAPFs: Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Assam Rifles (AR), and National Security Guard (NSG).
Collective sanctioned strength: over one million personnel.
Internal security role: CRPF is the primary internal security force; BSF handles border management; ITBP is deployed on the India-China border.
CAPFs are deployed for elections, insurgency management, and flood/disaster relief under central command.
Key distinction: CAPFs report to MHA; the Indian Army reports to Ministry of Defence and is deployed in Manipur under AFSPA through a separate chain of command.

Connection to this news: 88 CAPF companies were withdrawn from Manipur for West Bengal election duty — an example of the competing demands on finite CAPF resources between states.

Manipur Ethnic Conflict — Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga Communities

Manipur's ethnic geography has produced multiple, overlapping conflict fault-lines since 2023.

The current phase of ethnic conflict began in May 2023, primarily between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the hill-dwelling Kuki-Zo community, triggered by demands for Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis.
Meiteis constitute approximately 53% of Manipur's population and are concentrated in the Imphal valley; Kuki-Zo and Naga communities inhabit the hill districts.
The Naga angle: Naga groups such as the United Naga Council (UNC) assert territorial claims over certain hill districts that overlap with areas also claimed by Kuki-Zo groups. This tripartite tension is a newer and complicating dimension.
NSCN-IM (National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Isak-Muivah): This is the primary Naga insurgent group that has been in peace talks with the Centre since 1997 (Framework Agreement signed August 2015). The Naga peace process is stalled partly over the NSCN-IM's demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution, and over territorial integration of "Nagalim" — which would carve areas out of Manipur, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement with Kuki groups: First signed in 2008, a revised SoO pact was signed on September 4, 2025, between MHA, the Manipur government, and 24 Kuki-Zo insurgent groups under the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People's Front (UPF). Under SoO, Kuki militants agree to cease armed activities and move to designated camps; in return, security forces suspend operations against them.

Connection to this news: The April 2026 Naga-Kuki clashes represent a new fault-line in the Manipur conflict, making the security vacuum caused by CAPF withdrawal especially dangerous. The Home Secretary's review specifically addressed these new conflict areas.

Home Secretary's Role in Federal Security Management

The Union Home Secretary is the senior-most IAS officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the principal adviser to the Home Minister on internal security.
The Home Secretary chairs the National Integration Council at the bureaucratic level and coordinates with state Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police (DGPs) on law and order matters.
The Home Secretary does not have direct command authority over security forces but orchestrates inter-ministerial coordination — including redeployment of CAPFs, invocation of Article 355 responses, and communication with state governments.
In practice, the Home Secretary's review meeting is a pre-step to formal Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decisions on large-scale deployments.

Connection to this news: The Home Secretary convening a security review — rather than leaving it to state authorities alone — signals the Centre's active engagement of its Article 355 obligations.

Key Facts & Data

Approximately 88 CAPF companies (roughly 8,500 personnel) were withdrawn from Manipur for West Bengal election duties.
Prior to withdrawal, 272 CAPF companies were stationed in Manipur.
184 CAPF companies remained in Manipur during the West Bengal election period; additional forces were promised post-elections.
Manipur ethnic conflict has been active since May 2023; over 250 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced at its peak.
The NSCN-IM signed a Framework Agreement with the Centre in August 2015; substantive talks on the final settlement remain inconclusive.
A revised SoO (Suspension of Operations) pact between MHA, Manipur government, and 24 Kuki-Zo groups was signed on September 4, 2025.
AFSPA has been in force in Manipur (except Imphal Municipal Council area) since 1980.
Article 355 imposes a non-discretionary constitutional duty on the Union to protect states from internal disturbance without requiring President's Rule.
Seven CAPFs are under the Ministry of Home Affairs with a combined sanctioned strength exceeding one million.

UPSC Angle

Prelims: Article 355 text, AFSPA Section 4 powers, CAPF list and parent ministry, SoO agreement year (2008, revised 2025), NSCN-IM Framework Agreement (2015).
Mains GS2: Critically examine Centre's constitutional obligations during state-level ethnic conflicts. Discuss the federal tension when CAPF resources are diverted for elections.
Mains GS3: Analyze the role of SoO agreements in managing insurgency in North-East India. How does the Naga-Kuki conflict dimension complicate the security calculus in Manipur?
Essay potential: "Security and ethnicity: The limits of constitutional machinery in managing sub-national conflicts."