Overview
- Residents in Manipur’s five valley districts joined a half-hour ‘sound’ protest that used banging of utensils, drums, horns and hammering of electric poles to register anger over ongoing violence and government inaction on Friday, October 23, 2026.
- Many protesters marched toward Kangla Fort in Imphal and were stopped at Palace Compound, Moirangkhom and Keisampat while police erected barricades, fired tear gas near the fort and along the road to Raj Bhavan, and prevented entry to the fort complex.
- Organisers from the Federation of Haomee framed the action as peaceful mass pressure and protesters demanded updating the National Register of Citizens, identification and deportation of alleged undocumented migrants, and abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with armed groups.
- The state Home Minister said searches are under way into recent killings and that three people have been detained; authorities and reporters said no injuries were reported during the coordinated noise protests.
- The protest builds on a long-running ethnic conflict that began in May 2023, which authorities say has killed hundreds and displaced about 60,000 people, and it raises the chance of renewed tensions while increasing pressure on the state and central governments to deliver security and a political response.