Indian PM Modi visits troubled north-east Manipur state 2 years after ethnic clashes

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Manipur in the north-east has been bitterly divided since May 2023, when violence broke out between the mainly Hindu Meitei majority and the largely Christian Kuki community.

PHOTO: REUTERS

MANIPUR – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to troubled Manipur state on Sept 13 since more than 250 people were killed in ethnic clashes there in 2023.

Mr Modi’s visit is part of a three-day tour that also includes Assam, which borders Bangladesh, and Bihar, India’s third-most populous state with at least 130 million people.

Bihar is a key electoral battleground ahead of polls slated for October or November, the only state in India’s northern Hindi-speaking heartland where Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never ruled alone.

It is also India’s poorest, and Mr Modi was set to unveil investments worth US$8 billion (S$10.3 billion),a package that includes agricultural projects, rail links, road upgrades and an airport terminal.

Manipur in the north-east has been bitterly divided since May 2023, when violence broke out between the mainly

Hindu Meitei majority and the largely Christian Kuki community.

The violence has also displaced tens of thousands of people who are still living in makeshift camps established by the government.

“In order to bring life back on track in Manipur, the government of India is making all possible efforts,” Mr Modi told a gathering of thousands in Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated town.

“I promise you today that I’m with you. The government of India is with the people of