The law and order situation has improved in Manipur after President’s rule was imposed, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said on Monday.
He was speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in Delhi.
“Since the President’s Rule in Manipur, things have changed. People’s trust in government and mutual trust amongst communities have increased. There has been significant improvement since then,” he said.
He highlighted the recent public events as signs of stability.
“The Durand Cup was organised, and I was there. The crowd turnout was huge. When PM Modi visited in September, that too helped change things on the ground. If the situation continues to improve, the President will also be visiting soon.”
Dwivedi noted that violence incidents dropped and "if the situation continues to improve, the President will also be visiting soon."
In September Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his first visit to Manipur since the violence began, announced that 7,000 new homes would be built to resettle the displaced in "appropriate locations" without giving any other details.
Modi’s trip to Manipur also triggered a fierce backlash from Opposition leaders, who accused him of neglecting the state for two years and called the visit a "farce."
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the three-hour stopover as a “grave insult” to the people.
President’s rule was imposed in the state in February, 2025 after Biren Singh resigned on February 9 as chief minister amid criticism of his government’s handling of the ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.
The violence began in May 2023 after protests by the largely Christian Kuki community against the majority Meiteis, mostly Hindus, who were demanding official tribal status that would grant them access to the same government benefits and job quotas as other tribes, including Kukis.
At least 260 people were killed in the clashes and around 60,000 displaced people have since been living in temporary shelters.
On the ground, Manipur remains sharply divided: the Meiteis inhabit the Imphal Valley, while the Kukis live in the surrounding hill districts; and security forces continue to patrol the buffer zones that separate the two communities.
Warning to Pakistan
The army chief also served a pointed warning to Pakistan while outlining the military’s approach to evolving security challenges.
“...Operation Sindoor was just a trailer which ended in 88 hours. We are prepared for any circumstances in future. If Pakistan gives us a chance, we will teach it how to behave responsibly with a neighbouring nation,” he said.
He noted that modern warfare demands planning for prolonged and multi-domain engagements.
“In today's time, battles are multi-domain. We cannot say how long it will last. We have to ensure we have supplies to last long.”
The army chief said India will continue to respond strongly to state-backed terrorism.
“When a country encourages state-sponsored terrorism, it becomes a matter of concern for India. India talks about progress. If someone creates obstacles in our course, then we will have to take some action against them.”
He added: “When we talk about the new normal, we have said that talks and terror can't go together. All we are asking is to adopt a peaceful process, which we will cooperate with. Until then, we will treat terrorists and their sponsors alike. We will respond to those who encourage terrorists."
"Today, India is in a position that it is not scared of any blackmailing," Dwivedi said, apparently referring to Pakistan's nuclear threat.
"Our new normal in combating terrorism will be a challenge to Pakistan," he said.
The army chief said India's political brass has the will to strengthen the country's deterrence capabilities.
"In today's time, our deterrence is very strong. Our deterrence is working," he said.
Dwivedi also said “After 5 August, 2019, there has been a huge change in the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. After this, political clarity has come. There has been a huge decline in terrorism (in J&K)...”
Last week, the Indian government said it was treating the Red Fort car blast as a "terror incident" and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible.