The Centre has granted another six-month extension, till November 20, to the Commission of Inquiry probing the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur that claimed more than 260 lives, according to a government notification.
The three-member panel, now headed by former Supreme Court judge Balbir Singh Chauhan, was constituted on June 4, 2023, following the outbreak of large-scale violence in the northeastern state in May that year.
The commission was initially chaired by former Gauhati High Court chief justice Ajai Lamba, who resigned with effect from February 28. Justice Chauhan took charge on March 1.
According to the notification published in the gazette on Thursday, the commission has been directed to submit its report to the Centre “as soon as possible but not later than the 20th November, 2026”.
The panel is probing the sequence of events and circumstances surrounding the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, after a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
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The violence, which primarily involved the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, led to widespread arson, displacement and killings across several districts of the state. More than 260 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless during the clashes.
The unrest had also been preceded by tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, triggering a series of protests and smaller agitations before the large-scale violence broke out.
The Centre had constituted the commission on the recommendation of the Manipur government to examine the causes and handling of the violence, including whether there were lapses or dereliction of duty by authorities or individuals.
The commission is also tasked with assessing the adequacy of administrative measures taken to prevent and control the violence and examining complaints submitted by individuals and organisations.
This is the fifth extension granted to the panel. It had previously received extensions on September 13, 2024, December 3, 2024, May 20, 2025, and December 16, 2025.
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