Mission Manipur - A Frontline Podcast

Episode 16 of Mission Manipur, titled “Three Years”, centres on what prolonged ethnic violence has done to everyday life, especially for children growing up amid displacement, fear, and constant uncertainty, with psychiatrist Dr R.K. Lenin Singh explaining the psychological toll. It moves through Manipur’s buffer zones—militarised spaces where burnt homes are being rebuilt but life remains unlivea...

Episode 15 of Mission Manipur tracks how the BJP moved to restore an elected government in the state after months of political paralysis, and how that “return to normalcy” quickly unravelled on the ground. As Manipur got a new Chief Minister in February 2026 and the party tried to project stability through high-profile visits and carefully staged messaging, fresh faultlines opened up—first in Ukhr...

The latest edition of Mission Manipur turns its attention away from official visits and political posturing to the lives of the women who continue to bear the weight of Manipur’s unending crisis. The episode travels through relief camps and resettlement sites of the Vaiphei tribe—one of the worst-hit communities in the hill districts—to understand what it means to remain uprooted for nearly three...

In this special episode of Mission Manipur, research scholar Teshangran Tontang turns host and delves into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to the State in years. Travelling across Churachandpur (Lamka), Imphal and other districts, Tontang gathers voices of internally displaced people, teachers, writers, and young scholars who speak candidly about their hopes, frustrations, and disillusi...

In Episode 12 of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar discusses the findings of the "Independent People's Tribunal on the Ongoing Ethnic Conflict in Manipur", an extensive report released by the human rights advocacy group People's Union for Civil Liberties in August 2025. Kuthar speaks to two members of the jury who were part of the Tribunal: Justice (Retd) Anjana Prakash, former judge of the Patna H...

In Episode 11 of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar looks at the extension of President’s Rule in the State and the stark reality that little has changed on the ground. Less than a week after the extension, a new report attributed the continuing violence to ethnic divisions deepened by state actors. Despite the heavy presence of security forces and multiple checkpoints, the buffer zones remain tense...

In Episode 10 of Mission Manipur, host Greeshma Kuthar explores life in the border district of Tengnoupal which includes the famous border town of Moreh in Manipur, on the volatile India-Myanmar border, where civil war in Myanmar and ethnic violence in Manipur have upended daily existence. "Borderlands" details how communities on both sides of the border—often sharing ethnic ties—have been torn ap...

Two years since violence engulfed Manipur, residents remain in a prolonged state of uncertainty, grief, and anxiety. In Episode 9 of Mission Manipur, journalist Greeshma Kuthar travels across the State to understand what people are focussing on May 3. She finds that while the initial panic has faded, people are now grappling with the long-term fallout—parents worry about their children's futures,...

In Episode 8 of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar delves into the use of the term "refugee" as a tool to incite hatred and division in the ongoing Manipur conflict. The episode highlights how the label "refugee" has been forced onto the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur which in turn has been weaponised by civil society organisations in Manipur, including former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. The situat...

Episode 7 of Mission Manipur (“Separation”) explores the harrowing experiences of individuals caught in the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. The episode sheds light on the plight of families torn apart due to inter-community marriages and mixed parentage, highlighting their struggle for survival in a deeply divided society. We meet a young man of Meitei and Kuki-Zo descent, who finds himself tr...

In this episode ⁠("SOS") of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar explores how the humanitarian crisis in Manipur is worsening, marked by a glaring lack of medical care and deplorable conditions in relief camps. In districts like Churachandpur and Bishnupur, displaced families in camps face constant loss, with babies dying of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea. Kuthar spoke to Samrat Sinha, a profe...

Episode 5 of Mission Manipur ("Free Movement?") provides a detailed account of the violent events that unfolded on March 8 in Manipur even as the State is under President's Rule, highlighting the escalation of tensions and its tragic consequences. The violence erupted in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement on March 1 that free movement should resume across buffer zones separat...

In Episode 4 of Mission Manipur titled "Jangna-Dop" (a local tribal word which means "in solidarity"), journalist Greeshma Kuthar throws light on solidarity initiatives spearheaded by women-led collectives, such as the Kuki Womens Organisation for Human Rights and ETA Northeast, which have emerged as beacons of hope, providing crucial support to affected communities amidst the turmoil caused by th...

The third episode of Mission Manipur sees Greeshma Kuthar visit Manipur's relief camps and expose the lack of one of life's basic needs: clean drinking water. While political discussions dominate the narrative—be it disarmament, the BJP’s future, or fresh elections—the plight of over 55,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) remains overlooked. The grim reality is that many relief camps across th...

In the second episode of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar reflects on the collective trauma India's north-eastern State of Manipur has suffered since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, 2023, besides the recently imposed President's Rule and the circumstances that led to it. Divided into three parts, this episode is an attempt to centre the experiences of the people in Manipur. In the first...

In the first episode, Greeshma Kuthar explores the roots of the ongoing bloody conflict in India's north-eastern State of Manipur, which has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands since May 3, 2023. Kuthar underlines the role of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the violence, and how the BJP's ideological lodestar, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), helped sow the seeds of di...