A look at the top developments from violence-hit Manipur:

  1. The chief of Meitei Leepun, one of the two Meitei organisations accused of being involved in violence against Kukis in Manipur, said he worships Chief Minister N Biren Singh, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. Pramot Singh claimed that members of his organisation have been “repelling Kuki attacks” and said that a “bigger blow is to come”, which would make the violence that has occurred so far “seem like a small spark”. Leepun said he holds the chief minister in reverence “because the language he uses resonates with our priorities” – which include ending  poppy cultivation, a crackdown on drugs and stopping undocumented immigrants from Myanmar, among other things.
  2. The Manipur government on Wednesday told district authorities to assign executive magistrates to accompany Army personnel for combing operations in Kangpokpi, Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur and Jiribam districts. In a press release, the state home department said that the Army has sought executive magistrates only for these districts as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is not in force there. The department, however, said that combing operations will be carried out equally in the hill and valley districts if required to restore peace. 
  3.  The department added that deputy commissioners in Churachandpur, Pherzawl, Tengnoupal, Chandel and Kamjong districts have also been told to assign executive magistrates although AFSPA is in force there. The decision, the government said, was to “dispel the misunderstanding among the public”. This is for the first time since 1980 that the Army is carrying out combing operations while being accompanied by magistrates.
  4. The Manipur Assembly’s Privilege and Ethics Committee has directed 10 state MLAs to explain why they have sought a separate administration for a group of tribal communities, The Hindu reported on Wednesday. The committee has sought their response by June 16. Of the 10 MLAs, two belong to the Kuki People’s Alliance and the rest to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The legislators have alleged that the violence was perpetrated by the majority Meitei community and was “tacitly supported” by the BJP-run state government.
  5. The son of BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, who was injured in a mob attack on May 4, said that no one from the party has either visited or called him in hospital, according to The Hindu. The MLA was beaten up in Imphal while returning from a meeting with the chief minister at his office. Valte suffered a skull injury in the attack. His son, Joseph Valte, said that his father is now like a child who has to be taught how to walk and speak because of his injuries. Doctors have used a platinum plate to fix his jaw, Joseph Valte said.
  6. Manipur has witnessed ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis since May 3 that have left more than 100 persons dead, over 300 injured and thousands displaced. The violence broke out after thousands of people participated in a protest march to oppose the demand of the Meiteis to be included in the Scheduled Tribes category. 
  7. For months now, the state’s Kuki community has been at loggerheads with the state government, and, in particular with N Biren Singh, who the community claims harbours Meitei “majoritarian” sentiments.