India, June 12 -- The northeastern state of Manipur is once again burning. A state already scarred by the Meitei-Kuki clashes since May 3, 2023, has now seen a return of Naga-Kuki violence, not seen since the 1990s when the two groups battled over a homeland of their own. Despite the end of President's Rule and the emergence of a new political leadership drawn from the state's principal communities, normalcy remains elusive, and the atmosphere remains vitiated enough for low-level friction to reopen old wounds that had never healed. On June 9, 2026, after several rounds of talks and intervention by the intelligence bureau, church and civil society leaders, Naga groups released 14 Kuki men after 27 days in captivity. But the discovery of remains believed to be of the bodies of the six Naga men abducted last month triggered more violence. Two Kuki people were killed and their houses burnt in retaliation. The security situation in this border state remains fragile. The terrain and the porous border make it easier for the insurgent groups to move across and infiltrate with ease. Border fencing work in Manipur is underway, but completion may take several years. The mood on the ground remains volatile, with growing resentment and communal hostility threatening to push the state's communities further apart. It is imperative that the Centre re-examines its Manipur policy and finds a way to bridge the deep mistrust among the state's Naga, Meitei, and Kuki communities. According to the government's own data, Manipur alone accounted for 77% of insurgency-related incidents in the North East Region (NER) for the second year in a row(2024-2025). For a government that aims to end insurgency in the North East by 2029, restoring normalcy in Manipur must be the first priority....