New Delhi: President's Rule in Manipur has been extended for another six months, effective from August 13, 2025, a decision approved by the Lok Sabha following a resolution moved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This extension comes as joint security forces intensify operations against insurgent groups across the state, even as the security situation remains tense in several areas.

The central government's decision aims to stabilise the law-and-order situation and assess the feasibility of holding Assembly elections at a later date. President's Rule was initially imposed on February 13, 2025, after the Bharatiya Janata Party failed to reach a consensus on a successor to N. Biren Singh, who had resigned as Chief Minister on February 9, just before a no-confidence motion and floor test.

The imposition of President's Rule followed nearly two years of severe ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, which erupted on May 3, 2023. The violence, triggered by a 'Tribal Solidarity March' protesting a high court order, has claimed 250 lives and displaced over 60,000 people from their homes. Essential National Highways 2 and 37, crucial supply lines connecting the land-locked Imphal valley, have been inaccessible to Meitei people since the violence began, and more than 6,000 police weapons were looted in the state.

Despite the President's Rule, 21 ruling NDA MLAs from Manipur had expressed concern to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah in April, stating that expectations for peace and normalcy had not been met. They highlighted a "strong apprehension among the common people that the violence may recur" and called for the immediate installation of a "popular government."

In recent security developments, officials confirmed on Thursday that 10 militants linked to banned outfits, including the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), and People's Liberation Army (PLA), have been apprehended across districts like Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kakching, Tengnoupal, and Tamenglong. These arrests signify intensified efforts by security forces to bring stability to the region.

With inputs from IANS