The Center is again extending the panel tasked with submitting a report on the violence in Manipur caused by the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. File | Photo credit: ANI
The Center has given another six-month extension, till November 20, 2026, to the commission of inquiry to submit its report on the probe into the 2023 violence in Manipur that claimed more than 260 lives, a government notification said.
The three-judge bench, now headed by former Supreme Court judge Balbir Singh Chauhan, was created on 4 June 2023 in the wake of ethnic violence that broke out in the northeastern state in May that year.
It was initially headed by former Gauhati Chief Justice Ajai Lamba, who resigned with effect from 28 February. Justice Chauhan took charge on March 1.
According to a notice published in the Gazette on Thursday (14 May 2026), the Commission will submit its report to the center “as soon as possible but no later than 20 November 2026”.
The panel examines the sequence of events and facts related to the ethnic violence that broke out in the state on May 3, 2023, after a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organized in the hill districts.
The protest was held against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The ensuing violence claimed more than 260 lives. The violence was preceded by earlier tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from forest reserves, leading to a number of smaller agitations.
The Center constituted the commission on the recommendation of the Manipur government citing the need to investigate the matter of public importance. The scope of the investigation includes establishing whether there has been misconduct or neglect of duty on the part of any of the responsible authorities or persons.
The Commission also assesses the adequacy of administrative measures taken to prevent and deal with violence and unrest. It deals with complaints or allegations made by individuals or associations.
Since then, on September 13, 2024, December 3, 2024, May 20, 2025, and December 16, 2025, she has received several extensions to send her message, making the latest order the fifth. In its latest extension, the Union Home Ministry has given the Commission time till May 20 to submit its report.
According to a Home Ministry notification dated 4 June 2023, widespread violence broke out in Manipur on 3 May 2023, claiming the lives of many residents of the state besides injuring several others. People’s houses and properties were burnt down as a result of the arson and many of them became homeless, the announcement said.
Published – 15 May 2026 11:24 IST
