Manipur violence panel gets sixth extension, deadline pushed to May 2027

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet is learnt to have approved another extension for the Commission of Inquiry into the Manipur violence, giving it another year, until May 20, 2027, to submit its report. This is the sixth extension granted to it since the commission was constituted in Sept 2023. As per the original notification issued in Sept 2023, the commission was required to submit its report by Nov 2023. Its mandate included inquiring into the causes and spread of violence and riots targeting members of different communities in Manipur on May 3, 2023, and thereafter.

The commission was also tasked with examining whether there were any lapses or dereliction of duty by the authorities concerned or individuals, and whether the administrative measures taken to prevent and deal with the violence were adequate. It was also asked to examine the sequence of events leading to the violence and other related matters. The ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, has since claimed more than 300 lives and displaced thousands of people, besides deepening divisions between the state's Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The latest extension means the commission will now get nearly four years to complete an inquiry that was originally expected to conclude within months.