BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, December 17: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has once again extended the tenure of the Commission of Inquiry constituted to investigate the violence that erupted in Manipur in 2023. According to a fresh notification published in the official Gazette, the deadline for submission of the commission’s report has now been pushed to May 20, 2026.
The three-member panel is headed by former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, Justice Ajai Lamba (Retd.), and includes former IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and former IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar as its members. The commission was set up on June 4, 2023, in the immediate aftermath of large-scale inter-community violence that broke out on May 3, 2023, plunging the northeastern state into prolonged unrest.
The inquiry has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive examination of the causes, sequence of events, and spread of the violence between the valley-based Meitei community and the hill-dwelling Kuki-Zo groups. Its mandate also extends to assessing whether there were administrative lapses, failures of intelligence or governance, and shortcomings in preventive or responsive measures taken by the authorities before and after the clashes. In addition, the commission is authorised to consider representations, grievances, and claims submitted by individuals, civil society groups, and organisations affected by the violence.
READ: Gunfire Shatters Fragile Peace in Manipur After Meitei IDPs Return Home
Originally, the commission was expected to submit its findings within six months of holding its first sitting. However, the inquiry’s term has been extended multiple times since then, reflecting the scale and complexity of the issues under investigation. The previous extension was reportedly valid until November 2025, making the latest notification yet another deferment in the timeline for the final report.
The violence in Manipur was triggered by opposition to a proposed move to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community. What began as protests quickly escalated into widespread clashes, leading to at least 260 deaths, large-scale arson and destruction of homes and properties, and the displacement of thousands of people across several districts.
Manipur continues to remain under President’s Rule, which was imposed on February 13, 2025, following the resignation of former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh amid the ongoing crisis. Since assuming office in January 2025, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been holding consultations with various stakeholders, including community leaders and civil society representatives, in an effort to promote dialogue, reconciliation, and a return to stability in the violence-hit state.
