Thousands of people across Manipur's five valley districts took to the streets on Friday evening, staging coordinated sound protests and marches against continued killings, the prolonged ethnic conflict, and the government's failure to restore normalcy.
The demonstrations turned tense near Kangla Fort in the state capital, Imphal, where police fired tear gas shells and erected barricades on the road leading to Raj Bhavan, a high-security zone located barely 300 metres from the fort's western gate, where a major congregation of protesters took place.
Responding to a call by the Federation of Haomee, people across the valley joined the protest between 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm, clanging utensils, beating drums, sounding vehicle horns and sirens, striking electric poles with hammers, and shouting slogans against the government.
For nearly 30 minutes, neighbourhoods across the valley reverberated with deafening sounds as residents expressed their anger over the continuing violence and the prolonged failure to resolve the crisis.
#WATCH | Thousands of people across Manipur's five valley districts staged coordinated sound protests and marches against continued killings, the prolonged ethnic conflict and the government's failure to restore normalcy. https://t.co/9nidw9rFjd
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 24, 2026
Kangla Fort, the historic seat of political and cultural authority of the erstwhile kingdom of Manipur, emerged as the principal focal point of the mobilisation. Thousands gathered inside the complex and marched through its premises, raising slogans against the government. Some clanged utensils and beat drums, while others continuously sounded vehicle horns, turning the historic site into a centre of protest.
The gathering grew tense as the number of protesters swelled. With the western gate of Kangla barely 300 metres from Raj Bhavan, police tightened security along the approach road, placing barricades to prevent protesters from moving towards the high-security zone. Police subsequently fired a few rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the gathering and prevent the situation from spiralling out of control. No injuries were reported.
The protest was not confined to Kangla. Residents took out marches and participated in coordinated sound demonstrations across localities in all five valley districts. The synchronised action transformed neighbourhoods into centres of public dissent, with the din of utensils, drums, horns, and slogans continuing for the duration of the protest.
The Federation of Haomee described the demonstration as an "ultimate call for awakening", urging people to collectively raise their voices against continued killings, the prolonged ethnic conflict, and the government's failure to restore normalcy.
Protesters also raised political and security-related demands, including the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the identification of illegal immigrants, and the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with armed groups. The demonstration thus combined public anger over continued killings with demands for decisive action on issues the organisers consider central to resolving the crisis.
The large turnout, simultaneous marches across the valley, and the tense scenes near Kangla and Raj Bhavan underscored the intensity of public frustration. The protest came amid continuing concerns over violence and the absence of a lasting political settlement in Manipur, which has been grappling with ethnic conflict since May 2023.
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