Premium

In Manipur, the roads we no longer take

Three years ago, many of the adjustments demanded by the conflict were understood as emergency responses to an extraordinary situation. Today, some have lasted long enough to become part of the social landscape

Recent violence has brought additional COBRA units into the state. (Representational Image)

3 min readJul 1, 2026 05:04 PM IST First published on: Jul 1, 2026 at 05:04 PM IST

Three years after violence first engulfed Manipur, many people can tell you which roads to avoid. They know which journeys require extra planning, which routes feel familiar, and which places are no longer visited as casually as before. Students who once crossed district lines to attend schools and colleges often make different choices today. Traders who depended upon customers from multiple communities increasingly operate within narrower networks. Families visiting relatives think about travel in ways that would have seemed unusual before May 2023.

This knowledge emerged gradually through caution and experience. After three years, it has become woven into everyday routines, shaping decisions about where people travel, study, work, and whom they encounter along the way.

When violence first erupted, most people assumed that the arrangements created in response to it would remain temporary. Communities retreated into areas where they felt secure, and movement became more difficult. Security forces were deployed across large parts of the state. Institutions struggled to function normally. The expectation was that these disruptions, however severe, would eventually recede. But over time, people adjusted their routines, journeys, and relationships around them, gradually incorporating them into everyday life.

Relative periods of calm have not always produced a corresponding sense of peace. The number of violent incidents may decline while the habits formed in response to them remain largely unchanged. By the time these become routine, they no longer feel like responses to a crisis. They linger in daily decisions and become part of how life is organised.

Ongoing tensions involving the Naga and Kuki communities illustrate how quickly separation can reinforce itself. The immediate priority lies in preventing further violence and ensuring accountability. Yet every confrontation leaves behind new calculations about safety, movement, and trust. Existing suspicions acquire fresh reasons to persist. Journeys that once seemed routine require greater caution, while interactions that once occurred naturally become less frequent.

Also Read | The question the Great Nicobar project raises: Is what can be justified also just?

Recent violence has brought additional COBRA units into the state. Few would question the need to protect vulnerable communities or prevent further escalation. However, after three years, the pattern has become familiar: Every fresh crisis is followed by another deployment, another operation, and another effort to restore order. Such measures can secure roads and reduce violence. They cannot undo the routines that prolonged conflict leaves behind.

Three years ago, many of the adjustments demanded by the conflict were understood as emergency responses to an extraordinary situation. Today, some have lasted long enough to become part of the social landscape. Whether these fade or endure will depend in part on the recovery of the institutions and encounters that once brought different communities into routine contact. The longer that recovery remains incomplete, the more difficult it becomes to distinguish between temporary adjustments and the habits a society learns to live with.

Hansing is a researcher and writer based out of Manipur