Now Reading: Manipur rallies demand scrapping of SoO pact, removal of deputy CM
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Manipur rallies demand scrapping of SoO pact, removal of deputy CM
The Story in Brief
Thousands of people from Meitei, Naga and other tribal communities held rallies in Imphal, Senapati and Chandel on Saturday, 31 October 2026, demanding the scrapping of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, and the implementation of an NRC with 1951 as the base year. The protesters called it a 'last warning' to the central government.
The main rally in Imphal was organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and supported by the United Naga Council (UNC). Speakers accused the government of failing to protect tribal communities and of waging a 'proxy war' in the state. Six resolutions were passed, including demands for the withdrawal of Assam Rifles from Manipur and a time-bound roadmap for the return of displaced families.
The protests follow the killing of three Meitei persons in an ambush earlier in the week. Ethnic violence in Manipur since May 2023 has killed at least 306 people, while clashes between Kuki and Naga groups since February 2026 have killed about 50.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both bhaskar.com and aajtak.in cover the same rallies and demands, but their emphases differ slightly. bhaskar.com leads with the Meitei community's rally and lists Naga support second, while aajtak.in from the start frames the protests as a multi-community tribal mobilisation. aajtak.in gives more detail on the six resolutions passed and includes the 'last warning' rhetoric and the accusation of a 'proxy war' against the centre, which bhaskar.com omits. Bhaskar.com adds a separate fact about a security forces raid on a Kuki militant camp, which aajtak.in does not mention. Both report the same death tolls and the expiration of the SoO pact, but aajtak.in puts the expiry date at 24 September 2026, while bhaskar.com says 4 September. Neither outlet names the next concrete step.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): bhaskar.com (neutral report), aajtak.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
