Imphal: At least 306 people, including 11 security personnel, have been killed and 49 remain missing in the ethnic violence that has gripped Manipur since May 2023, Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam informed the state Assembly on Thursday.
Konthoujam shared the updated casualty figures, recorded up to August 31, 2026, on the second day of the ongoing eighth session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly. He was responding to a question raised by BJP MLA Sapam Ranjan Singh.
The dead and missing belong to various communities, including Meiteis, Kukis, and Nagas.
The ethnic conflict erupted on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March in the state’s hill districts. The march was organized to protest the demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the Meitei community, triggering widespread clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups, as well as clashes involving Naga communities.
The prolonged unrest severely impacted the state’s political landscape. Amid continuing violence, the BJP-led government under Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned on February 9, 2025.
President’s rule was subsequently imposed on February 13, 2025, placing the 60-member Assembly under suspended animation.
President’s rule was later revoked on February 4, 2026, allowing a new government to take charge under BJP leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh as chief minister.
In Manipur, the Meitei community constitutes about 53 percent of the population and lives mostly in the Imphal Valley.
Tribal groups, including Nagas and Kukis, make up roughly 40 percent of the population and primarily reside in the hill districts.