A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the town, violence broke out in Manipur’s Churachandpur on Sunday amid a protest. The protesters were demanding the release of two men arrested earlier in the week for vandalising decorations put up in preparation for the PM’s visit. According to reports, several banners and cutouts of PM Modi, which were put up at Pearsonmun and Phailien Bazaar, were vandalised.
In connection with the vandalism of the prime minister’s cutouts and banners that took place on Thursday night, police initially rounded up many individuals. While the majority were released, two were taken into custody.
Day after PM Modi’s visit to the town, Manipur’s Churachandpur sees violent protest
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) September 14, 2025
Read more here: https://t.co/C6ix1ErCru pic.twitter.com/8puAAELDL8
Protest to release the arrested individuals
According to the Indian Express, the demand to release the two arrested men started on Sunday afternoon with a protest on the streets of Churachandpur town, the headquarters of the Kuki-Zo majority district. The Indian Express further mentioned that protestors tried to storm the Churachandpur police station, citing a senior security official.
The official told the Indian Express, “Their (the crowd’s) attempt to storm the police station was repelled by police, using a lathi charge. The police and administration told them that they would have to secure the release of the two men through legal means. After this, their lawyer appealed to the district court. The duty magistrate held a hearing, and the two men were granted bail by the evening. The situation has calmed down after that.”
PM Modi’s visit to Manipur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Manipur on Saturday for the first time since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023. At a public rally in Churachandpur, he assured residents that he would work to make the state a “symbol of peace,” and he also met with people impacted by the conflict. As part of a larger tour of the Northeast, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for thousands of crores worth of projects in Mizoram and Assam, including the Bairabi-Sairang railway line, which provides Mizoram its first rail connectivity.