NEW DELHI: The Center on Thursday gave another extension of six months, till November 20, to a probe committee to submit its report on the probe into the 2023 violence in Manipur that claimed more than 260 lives, a government notification said.
The three-member committee, now headed by former Supreme Court judge Balbir Singh Chouhan, was formed on June 4, 2023, in the wake of the ethnic violence that erupted in the northeastern state in May.
It was initially headed by former Guwahati High Court Chief Justice Ajay Lamba, who resigned effective February 28. Justice Chouhan took charge on March 1.
According to the notification published in the newspaper on Thursday, the committee must submit its report to the Center “as soon as possible but not later than November 20, 2026.”
The committee is investigating the sequence of events and facts related to the ethnic violence that broke out in the state on May 3, 2023, after the “Tribal Solidarity March” was organized in the hill areas.
The protest was organized against the Meitei community’s claim to Scheduled Tribe status. The ensuing violence claimed the lives of more than 260 people.
The violence was preceded by earlier tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller disturbances.
The Center formed the committee on the recommendation of the Manipur government, citing the need to conduct an investigation into a matter of public importance.
The scope of the investigation includes ascertaining whether there are any lapses or dereliction of duty by any of the authorities or individuals responsible.
The Committee also assesses the adequacy of administrative measures taken to prevent and deal with violence and riots.
The committee considers complaints or allegations submitted by any individual or association.
The Commission has been granted extensions several times to submit its report since then on September 13, 2024, 2024, 2025, and December 16, 2025, making the latest Order the fifth.
In its latest extension, the Federal Ministry of Interior gave the committee until May 20 to submit its report.
According to a Home Ministry notification dated June 4, 2023, widespread violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, resulting in the deaths of several residents of the state, as well as several others being injured.
The notification stated that people’s homes and property were burned as a result of the arson, leaving many of them homeless.
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