Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said on Tuesday that all issues in the state can be resolved through dialogue, even as protests and shutdowns disrupted normal life in several districts. Speaking at the inauguration of a Block Development Office at Wangjing-Tentha in tribal-inhabited Thoubal district, he said the new administrative block has been created to strengthen grassroots governance and improve service delivery.
A large crowd welcomed the chief minister at Wangjing-Tentha. Khemchand Singh said he had faced no resistance during recent visits to hill districts but expressed surprise at opposition to his visit in Thoubal, which lies in the Imphal valley. “I recently visited several hill districts without any opposition. However, I am surprised by the protests in Thoubal district against my visit,” he said.
The chief minister emphasised the need for talks, saying differences are best resolved when all stakeholders come together and meaningful solutions follow discussion. He referred to the Tronglaobi incident in Bishnupur district on April 7-when two minor children were killed and their mother injured-as deeply distressing.
Khemchand Singh said the state government has held two rounds of talks with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) representing the victims, along with State Home Minister K. Govindas Singh, and assured that their demands would be addressed. He added the government is considering offering suitable government jobs to the victims’ parents as a humanitarian gesture, stressing the proposal is meant as support and “not a form of negotiation.”
Expressing concern over a five-day total shutdown called by a section of the JAC, the chief minister described such actions as “unwarranted and senseless,” saying they create public confusion and disrupt daily life. He also assured that the 3.5-km approach road at Wangjing would be constructed at the earliest.
The shutdown in Imphal valley, covering five to six districts, was called by Meira Paibis (women torchbearers) and various civil society organisations to protest the April 7 killings in Bishnupur; it came into effect at midnight on April 18 and has led to near-complete closure of shops and suspension of passenger and commercial transport, with protesters blocking roads, police said. Separately, Naga-inhabited areas faced a three-day shutdown called by the United Naga Council from midnight on April 20 until midnight on April 23, protesting the April 18 killing of two Naga civilians-Chinaoshang Shokwungnao (45) and Yaruingam Vashum (42)—at TM-Kasom on National Highway-2; the victims, residents of Ukhrul, were allegedly waylaid and killed by suspected Kuki militants while returning from Imphal.
IANS
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/04/21/all-issues-can-be-resolved-through-dialogue-says-manipur-cm-amid-protests-shutdown/
Category: NATIONAL,News Alert,REGIONAL
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Publish Date: 2026-04-21 22:08:00
