In News:

On 13th February 2025, President DroupadiMurmu imposed President’s Rule in Manipur under Article 356 of the Constitution, following a report submitted by the State Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. The move comes in the wake of a prolonged period of ethnic violence, governance vacuum, and the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on 9th February 2025.

Constitutional Provisions:

• Article 356 empowers the President to assume control of a state’s administration if it is determined that the state cannot be governed as per constitutional provisions.
• The Governor’s report or other evidence of breakdown is a prerequisite.
• Under this, the elected state government is dismissed, and the Governor becomes the executive head on behalf of the President.
• The State Legislative Assembly is either dissolved or placed under suspended animation. In Manipur’s case, it is under suspended animation, with its term valid until 2027.
• The proclamation must be approved by both Houses of Parliament within two months, and if extended, it can last up to six months at a time, with a maximum duration of three years.

Crisis Background and Ethnic Conflict

Manipur has witnessed an intense ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities since May 3, 2023. The violence has led to:

• Over 250 people killed, and
• More than 60,000 displaced.

Security concerns and political instability escalated after the Chief Minister’s resignation, with the BJP leadership unable to find a consensus candidate for replacement. The deteriorating law-and-order situation, coupled with governance paralysis, prompted the imposition of President’s Rule.

Security and Migration Concerns

Former CM N. Biren Singh raised alarm over:

• Rising illegal immigration through the 398-km porous border with Myanmar, worsened by the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
• A demographic shift threatening the State’s land, identity, and resources.
• Post-violence governance failure, as state machinery struggled to respond effectively.

He emphasized the need to intensify detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, a concern linked to the root causes of ethnic tension.

Historical Context

• This is not the first time Manipur has come under central rule. The last imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur lasted 277 days, from June 2, 2001 to March 6, 2002.