Editorial

Making a beeline for Delhi Making a comeback ?

December 13, 2025 and February 2, 2026. The sense of deja vu is unmistakable for the common thread running through the two dates is more or less the same-return of a popular Government. Nearly 60 days back, a number of BJP MLAs including ex-Chief Minister..

Last day of the first month of 2026 A march with a purpose

It was a rally, a march with a purpose and the purpose of the rally was not lost in the decibels of the slogans that sliced  through the air of Imphal on the last day of the first month of 2026. January 31, 2026 ended with a purpose and Meitei CSOs u..

March 31 timeframe for resettlement From December to now March

Another extension. Par for the course, but look deeper and this somewhat boils down to the PR regime admitting that they have fallen short of the earlier assurance that the Internally Displaced Persons would be resettled by December of 2025. A sort of an..

Making them fall in line A wag of the finger should do

Truth be told, all it needs is a wag of the finger from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the powers behind the hoarse cry of the Kuki-Zo organisations opposing Government formation would fall in line. The rider is whether the Centre entertains any idea o..

Give more teeth to War on Drugs campaign Selective silence of CoTU, KIM

Is the War on Drugs on track ? Or has it managed to put a check on the large scale poppy plantations in the hills of Manipur, particularly in the areas where the Kuki-Zos dominate ? Or has it resulted in a sort of a confrontation between communities, best..

Cracking down on poppy plantation Backing War on Drugs

Banned organisation, but the course of action taken up by them can be understood within the War on Drugs campaign launched by the then BJP led Government back in 2018. Destruction of poppy fields and law enforcing agencies of the Government have been on t..

Stepping into 2026 on the wrong foot ? Need to loook forward

Year 2026 has not started on the right note at all and in just the first month of the new year, Manipur grabbed headlines for two very wrong reasons. First was the news that a Kuki woman, who was allegedly raped on May 15 of 2023 at New Checkon area passe..

ISBT : Not exactly an auspicious start Refurbished and repaired

It did not have an auspicious start and there is nothing to suggest that the State Government has picked up a point or two to see that the past is not repeated. Inaugurated with much fanfare by then Prime Minister the Late Dr Manmohan Singh in the company..

Waking up to a shocking Jan 22 Of folded hands and two shots

Manipur woke up to a shocking January 22, for greeting the people were the video clips of a man, Mayanglambam Rishikanta, ostensibly pleading for mercy before he was shot dead with two bullets piercing through his head. Not surprisingly the video clips we..

Taking the ST demand to the next poll MMTU right on track

The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union appears to be on track and focus should be on how to take the ST for Meiteis demand to the centre stage when Manipur goes in for Assembly elections in 2027. This is the line that The Sangai Express had been advocating for s..

Looking back at the May of 2023 Ghost of false narratives

The Sangai Express condoles the demise of the young Kuki girl who passed away after battling an illness, an illness allegedly linked to the trauma she had to undergo after being ‘gang raped’ on May 15, 2023, after she was ‘kidnapped̵..

Lessons from the days after May 3, 2023 Consistent narrative needed

Has Manipur learnt any lesson from the days that followed May 3, 2023 ? If so, what are the lessons that have been learnt  ? There will be no easy answer here and this is where it is important to ask whether Manipur is ready to learn. And to be ready..

Spadework needed for normalcy to return Ball in the court of Delhi

The talk of the town is when the popular Government will return as well as who will be anointed as the Chief Minister. The one year itch is certainly catching up, but in all the talks doing the round on Government formation not one, repeat not one single..

The game that is being played Tearing apart Manipur

Free movement of all from March 8 of 2025 was reduced to a big joke. Resettlement of all displaced people by December of 2025, with the exception of Churachand-pur, Moreh and Kangpokpi has also come close to the understanding of a hollow promise. And now..

Forcing petrol pumps to shut The Govt is answerable

Eerily reminiscent of the earlier days when blockade, under any name-highway blockade, economic blockade, you name it-crippled the National Highways and people were starved of the bare essential minimums of the day, scarcity of fuel being the most promine..

Going on the offensive against poppy Guns backing the drug trade

Certain things are clear. Of the many armed groups operating in the hills of Manipur, the Kamson led Zeliangrong United Front is one of the few which has gone on the offensive against poppy plantations. Another point that is also crystal clear for all to..

Questions and questions before 2027 Reflection of the uncertainties

Manipur delivered a powerful statement in the 2024 Parliamentary elections, backing the Congress candidates in the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency as well as in the Outer seat. Back then, the BJP led Government was firmly in place at Imphal and P..

Criss crossing Manipur with buffer zones The politics at play

Nearly three years down the line and there is nothing to suggest that Manipur is on the track of normalcy. A clear reflection that the imposition of President’s Rule on February 13, 2025, the drawing up of buffer zones across the length and breadth..

Giving a push to the ST demand Eyes on 2027 Assembly polls

Make it an election issue. This has been the call of The Sangai Express for quite some time and now is perhaps the right time to pitchfork the ST for Meiteis demand into the limelight. A step that the Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) appears to have set..

NRC & Census: Set the order of precedence right

If the order issued by the Additional Secretary (Home) on December 31, 2025 which has frozen administrative boundaries of districts and villages is any indication, due process for the India Census 2027 has been set into motion. India Census 2027 is divide..

Ahead of the next Assembly polls Time for people to set agenda

Manipur is already in 2026, a new year, a new beginning and perhaps the understanding of a new beginning may best be understood by how people decide who their representatives would be for the next five years during the 2027 Assembly elections.  A lit..

Ring in the new, boot out the old Make the New Year meaningful

Throw out the old and year 2023, 2024 and 2025 definitely belong to the old and so boot them out and bring in the new. This should be the call of Manipur even as it joins the rest of the world in stepping into a New Year. And it is up to the people to mak..

Statistics to teach Maths students ? The absurdity of it all

May not exactly be a ‘storm’, for it is just The Sangai Express which has broken the story, carried it forward, but more than enough room has been created for certain uncomfortable questions to be raised. Just 24 hours after this newspaper car..

Getting ready to step into 2026 Idea of Manipur

Will Manipur step into 2026 with a renewed sense of hope, ready to come over the bitterness of the days after May 3, 2023 or will the coming of the new year mean just another change of year in the calendar ? The answer lies to a great extent on what ..

State failures vis-a-vis Manipur crisis

No one needs any reminder that the month of December is drawing to a close and with that, the year 2025 will soon become a part of history, more precisely another dark chapter in the long history of Manipur. Yet it appears that the state needs this remind..

Going deeper into observation of RSS chief Resolving differences

Resolving differences among warring groups in Manipur will take time. This was RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat while addressing a programme held in connection with the centenary celebration of the Sangh at Kolkata on December 22. Many would take the statement of..

Throwing traffic movement into jeopardy Man made traffic snarls

Getting greeted first thing in the morning by the newspapers published from Imphal may not exactly be refreshing to the eyes and minds, but it does give ample opportunities to everyone to take one look at the reality, swallow hard and think what one can d..

Changing population dynamics Reality check

Fact number 1 : The incursion from across the border is a reality which no one can deny, least of all the people who are indigenous to the land. Fact number 2 : The group of people to be affected first and the most due to the unchecked intrusion from acro..

Powerful statement from fuel dealers Going beyond the ultimatum

The pumps did not go ‘dry’, meaning they did not shut, but the Manipur Petroleum Dealers’ Fraternity delivered a powerful statement in setting December 28 as the deadline for the Government to wake up and do the needful. And to understan..

Going hi-tech on border surveillance Of drones and sensor systems

Robust and ‘smart’ border management framework. This is the line stressed by the Secretary (Border Management) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs while reviewing the security architecture and infrastructure project along the Indo-Myanmar bo..

Give more teeth to War on Drugs Beyond the poppy fields

Destruction of poppy plantations continues. And it has been going on ever since the then BJP led Government at Imphal launched its ‘War on Drugs’ campaign in 2018. The exact area of poppy plantation that has been razed to the ground has not be..

The Big, Fat, Meitei Weddings Vulgar display of wealth

Vulgar display of wealth, a display that has nothing to do with the core meaning of the event or the day and it is along this line that The Sangai Express has published at least three articles calling for sanity in the last 30 days. On November 14, The Sa..

Torbung back in focus after May 3, 2023 Replaying the nightmare

Manipur went to sleep on December 16 in a disturbed state of mind and this was only reinforced on December 17 morning when  hard news of the bullets being rained down at Phougakchao Ikhai and Torbung greeted the readers. This much is true and from wh..

Setting the priorities right Normalcy should be on top

The focus of the people should not be lost. This is where it becomes important to question whether the people have stuck to a consistent narrative after the evening of May 3, 2023 or whether the goal post keep changing according to the agenda laid down by..

Lethal touch to the roads in Imphal Revolting indifference

The indifference is revolting. Comes close to the understanding of telling the people to take a hike, never mind that the indifference can claim human lives. If it is not about waving the people aside, so that the suited, booted class who come under the t..

Timing of the stand of UPF, KNO Delhi Durbar

One has to give it to them. The United People’s Front (UPF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) have mastered the art of ‘striking out at the right moment’ and nothing illustrates this better than the media statement issued just one..

Date at Delhi on December 14 Needed : Roadmap

The Sangai Express went with the term ‘Delhi calls MLAs’ rather than ‘Delhi summons MLAs’ for reasons which must be clear to readers who are accustomed to reading beyond the obvious. And so it is that a number of BJP MLAs have alre..

A hard sincere look at society Housewives to homemakers

Put them on a pedestal in the public domain, but what happens within the confines of one’s home is nobody’s business. Yet another Nupi Lan is at hand and the essence of the line just spelt out here should become all that more clear. Manipur is..

Interesting emerging patternReady for the high profile visit

The pattern in the emerging reality is interesting. It could be a series of coin- cidences or it could be something which have been crafted or drawn up by some of the best brains in the business of drawing up chess moves, which only a certified grandmaste..

Open interaction with Kuki inmates Notching up a first

How can Manipur return to normalcy without talks ? This question is critical for people on either side of the clash divide, particularly those who have emerged as self proclaimed champions of the community they purport to represent, and this is where it b..

Pathetic state of roads in Imphal Indifference and apathy

For months The Sangai Express has been writing on the pathetic state of the roads in Imphal and will continue to do so for there is nothing at the ground to show that the Government has woken up to this. More than a case of indifference for couched in the..

Jolting MoCA awake with flight fare Indifferent to Manipur

The irony is not lost on Manipur. For over two years, different airlines operating on the Imphal to Delhi, Imphal to Kolkata, Imphal to Silchar, Imphal to Guwahati sectors have been bleeding the people dry with exorbitant air fares and the one line answer..

JTC delivers a point with memo to Modi Of non-stop incursion

Unchecked immigration, large scale mushrooming of new settlements, well armed groups protecting/encouraging the new settlements, heavy illegal taxation on commercial vehicles plying on the National Highways. These are the points highlighted by the Joint T..

Drug route through dense forests Expanding poppy fields

The United Nations has brought it to the notice of the world and it goes well with the seeming renewed drive against poppy plantation in Manipur. Myanmar Opium Survey 2025 undertaken and issued by the United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) has highligh..

Dust in winter; mud and slush in summer Failure down the years

When it rains, it is all about leikhom-leinang and now with the dry season that comes with winter every year, it is all about uphul-waiphul. A reality under which Manipur has had to live down the decades and while the Air Quality Index may not be that unh..

Displaced folks and call to return home A call out to the elected MLAs

The focus of the MLAs, particularly the BJP MLAs, must be clear. The focus should and must be on how to take up steps to ensure that the internally displaced persons can return to the place they once called home. It however is not clear whether their eyes..

Just 30 days left to step into 2026 Normalcy still a far cry

Year 2025 is fast coming to an end. In just another 30 days, the world would have stepped into a new year and Manipur will not forget President’s Rule whenever anyone looks back to 2025, 30 days hence. And if 2025 will be remembered as the year of t..

Emerging voices from displaced folks Surviving in relief camps

One point that has emerged prominently in the boycott call of the Sangai Festival is the existence of thousands of people surviving in different relief centres for more than two years now. Lest it is forgotten, the displaced people cut both ways, affectin..

From November 3 to November 28 Indifference or inefficiency ?

The timeline given here in bold is done so with a purpose. On November 3 the Manipur Progressive Pig Farmers’ Association (MPPFA) had a story to tell the media, a story that was meant to be told to Manipur. A large number of pigs had been infected b..

The curse from across the border From Keishing to Gangmei

Back in 2024, when the State Assembly was alive and kicking, Phungyar Assembly Constituency MLA Leishiyo Keishing had flagged the problem of large scale intrusion from the across the border and how the number of immigrants had outnumbered the local people..