Old wounds, new tensions: What recent killings reveal about a state struggling to heal

Urmi Bhattacharjee

Guwahati June 12: Three years after violence first engulfed Manipur, fear, displacement and distrust continue to shape life across the state.

The recent recovery of six Naga civilians who were abducted a month ago, followed by the killing of two Kuki church leaders in Kamjong district, have once again exposed the underlying divisions in Manipur’s fragile peace. Although both incidents are currently under investigation and a link has not yet been established by authorities, their timing has rekindled concerns regarding a conflict that may no longer dominate national headlines but remains far from over.

These latest incidents have taken place against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis which has cast a long shadow over the state.

To many outside Manipur, the conflict is a distant memory of burning homes, armed encounters and mass displacement which made headlines in 2023. For thousands of families within the state, however, the conflict is still a lived reality.

The Manipur Home Department revealed under the Right to Information Act that at least 731 displaced persons died in relief camps and temporary settlements since violence first erupted in May 2023. About three years later, there are over 43,000 displaced persons.

These numbers paint a story that transcends individual incidents.

When the crisis peaked, more than 60,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Hundreds died. Communities that co-existed in the past are now separated by fear, geography and a growing distrust. While security operations, peace initiatives, and political involvement have continued, most of these divides remain.

The retrieval of the six Naga civilians resulted in outrage across the Naga-inhabited areas and further calls for justice. Just a day later, two church leaders were killed in a Kuki village in Kamjong district by assailants, who also set homes and a church ablaze and injured others.

The recent deaths have again brought the deep-rooted fault lines in Manipur into sharp focus.

More significantly, while the violence since 2023 has largely been understood as part of the Meitei-Kuki conflict, the recent developments signal widespread distrust among all communities, paving the way for local conflicts to escalate quickly into widespread violence.

Security agencies face a challenging task of not only preventing larger clashes, but also ensuring that old grudges do not resurface in new forms.

The most haunting figure in Manipur at the moment might not be the six civilians rescued this week, or the two church leaders killed in Kamjong.

It is 43,000.

That’s how many people still haven’t returned to their homes since the conflict erupted.

It represents families that are waiting to rebuild their lives, children who are growing up in temporary shelters and communities that are still trying to reclaim their lost sense of normalcy. It’s a painful reminder of the deeper crisis that still needs to be addressed, with every new incident acting as a catalyst.

Investigators will eventually uncover those responsible for the recent deaths and establish the connections. However, the larger questions confronting Manipur are far more difficult to answer.

How does a state heal when tens of thousands remain displaced, communities continue to live apart and trust remains in short supply?

Three years after the violence began, the gunfire may have faded in many places, but the wounds remain. For thousands still waiting to return home, peace remains less a reality than a promise yet to be fulfilled.

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