President Droupadi Murma is welcomed by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal on December 11, 2025. | Photo credit: ANI
President Droupadi Murmu began her two-day visit to Manipur on Thursday (December 11, 2025) amid a shutdown caused by a conglomeration of banned armed organisations.
The coordination committee, which comprises seven extremist groups based in the Imphal Valley, announced two days ago that the shutdown would remain in effect until the president leaves the conflict-torn state.
Shops and markets in Imphal and adjoining areas remained closed and vehicles were largely off the roads when the President arrived in the state capital Imphal around 1 pm. Her first visit to the state began by witnessing an exhibition polo match in the city of Mapal Kangjeibung.
In the evening, she addressed a civic reception organized in her honor by the state government.
Ms. Murmu will visit the Nupi Lal Memorial Complex in Imphal on Friday (December 11, 2025) and pay tribute to Manipur women fighters. Nupi Lal refers to two women-led uprisings (1904 and 1939) in which Manipuri women resisted British colonial policies and asserted their rights and dignity.
The President is also scheduled to travel to Senapati district, which borders Nagaland, to address a public rally and launch various development projects for the district.
A few hours before her arrival, Meitei groups Coordinating Committee for the Integrity of Manipur (COCOMI) and Arambai Tenggol alerted Ms. Murmu to the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) scattered around the relief camps.
COCOMI urged her to take decisive steps to protect the constitutional rights of the people of Manipur. Its convener Khuraijam Athouba pointed out that thousands of people continue to live as refugees in their own state.
He recalled the government’s commitment that IDPs would be resettled in three phases by December and highlighted the lack of progress in this regard.
Arambai Tenggol hoped that the President’s presence in Manipur would draw attention to the hardships faced by IDPs.
Ms. Murmu’s tour comes three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Manipur on September 13 for the first time since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023 that claimed more than 260 lives and displaced about 62,000 people.
Published – 11 Dec 2025 21:39 IST
