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The proclamation paved the way for governor Ajay Bhalla to execute all functions that were vested in the chief minister so far
Manipur CM N Biren Singh handed over his resignation to Manipur governor Ajay Bhalla. (File image: Sourced)
The ministry of home affairs issued a gazette notification stating that a proclamation for President’s Rule in Manipur was issued by President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday after receiving a report from governor Ajay Bhalla.
“Whereas, I, Droupadi Murmu, President of India, have received a report from the Governor of the State of
Manipur and after considering the report and other information received by me, I am satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the Government of that State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India,” the statement said.
The proclamation paved the way for governor Ajay Bhalla to execute all functions that were vested in the chief minister so far. The decision comes after BJP Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra tried in vain to forge a consensus over the next CM. Patra met with the Biren Singh and dissident camp MLAs but could not find a name acceptable to all.
Challenges ahead
1. Kuki Support: The Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities have long rejected Biren Singh’s leadership in Manipur. The hill communities have welcomed Biren’s resignation but insisted that their real demand is territorial separation. Any attempt to divide Manipur would be met with strong resistance from the Meitei community. So the first challenge before governor Ajay Bhalla is to win the confidence of the Kukis and get them to come to the talking table.
“The President’s Rule is preferable to a change of CM. The Kuki-Zo do not trust the Meitei anymore, so a new Meitei CM is still far from comforting,” Ginza Vualong, spokesperson of the Indigenous Tribal Forum, told CNN-News18 immediately after the President’s Rule notification. “President’s Rule will give a ray of hope to the Kuki-Zo, and we believe that it will be one step closer to our political solution. With the President’s Rule, I believe the groundwork to end the violence will begin, which will pave the way for a conducive environment for political dialogue.”
2. Law and order: In June 2023, Biren Singh’s resignation was torn to pieces by his supporters. His convoy towards Raj Bhawan was forced to turn around as massive protests erupted. Security agencies watched with nervous anticipation when Biren resigned in February 2025. So far, the only big incident reported was the abduction of senior journalist Laba Yambem from Imphal on Tuesday morning. Yambem’s family believes his abduction was a direct consequence of his criticising some militant groups that have supported Biren Singh in the past. Police launched a manhunt after the abduction, and Yambem returned safely.
However, the incident has the forces on tenterhooks. Any attempt to disturb the peace in Imphal valley or create a law and order situation will have to be curbed at the outset.
“The situation is different in 2025. Unlike 2023, there is no popular support. The reaction of locals is that of relief after the CM’s resignation,” a senior police official told CNN-News18 when asked how big a challenge law and order would be.
The suspected fratricide by a CRPF jawan in his own camp has underlined the fragile situation as far as security forces are concerned. At around 8 pm on Thursday, minutes after President’s Rule was notified, a CRPF constable used his service weapon to kill 2 and injure 8 others before taking his own life.
Manipur police, in its social media post, said senior officials rushed to the spot to gauge the situation.
“In an unfortunate incident, tonight at around 8 pm, a suspected case of fratricide happened inside a CRPF camp in Lamsang under Imphal West District wherein one CRPF jawan opened fire killing 02 (two) of his own CRPF colleagues on the spot and injuring 08 (eight) others. Later, he also committed suicide by using service weapon. The personnel belonged to F-120 Coy CRPF. Senior officers of Police and CRPF have rushed to the spot,” police said.
Paramilitary companies have been under intense pressure for the past 2 years, even as local police were divided along community lines and their movement restricted to the valley or hill depending on their ethnicity.
3. Pushing ahead with the Centre’s initiative: Governor Ajay Bhalla was appointed to the position on December 24, 2024. Within a month, he initiated a bureaucratic reshuffle in the hill districts. Seventy officials were transferred. Sixty officers from various services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Indian Forest Service (IFS), Manipur Civil Service (MCS), and Manipur Police Service (MPS), were shuffled, while ten police officers—both IPS and MPS—were reassigned.
Two of the major changes were IAS officer Paudunthang Vaiphei, former director general of the State Academy of Training (SAT), being promoted to additional chief secretary, and Arurak Bajpai, an IFS officer serving as principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forest force (HoFF), being named additional chief secretary for textiles, commerce, and industries.
The move was seen as in line with the Centre’s attempts to streamline administration in strife-torn areas of the state.
The Centre is also keen to push through the work of border fencing in Manipur. As per the MHA’s annual report, 9.2 kilometres of the Manipur-Myanmar border were fenced in 2024. The 1,600-km-long border has been blamed for aiding illegal activities owing to its porous nature. The border fencing project is aimed at enhancing security, curbing illegal activities, and improving infrastructure in the northeastern region. It is one of the top priorities, and the Centre would hope that governor Bhalla would be able to ensure the completion of the project, tiding over misgivings that the Kuki-dominated hills have.