Story perspectives

- Manipur ethnic violence kills dozens, displaces thousands - Satirical Cockroach Janta Party gains million to protest unemployment - Spelling Bee relocates to DC, 247 contestants compete

5/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

Ethnic fighting among Meitei, Kuki and Naga groups in Manipur, India, has killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands.
Graduate Abhijeet Dipke founded the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, which amassed over a million members to protest youth unemployment and corruption in India.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee moved to DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., with 247 contestants from the U.S. and five other nations competing for a $50,000 prize.

History

Historical Context

Since the 1990s, Manipur’s Meitei valley and Kuki-Naga hills have endured periodic clashes, notably the 1992-98 war that left over 1,000 dead and thousands displaced. The BJP’s 2017 takeover under Chief Minister N. Biren Singh intensified nationalist rhetoric and backed Meitei militias, setting the stage for the 2023 protest over Scheduled-Tribe status that sparked Meitei-Kuki violence, which by November 2024 had killed 258 people and displaced 60,000.

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Story summary

Ethnic fighting among Meitei, Kuki and Naga groups in Manipur, India, has killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands.
Graduate Abhijeet Dipke founded the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, which amassed over a million members to protest youth unemployment and corruption in India.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee moved to DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., with 247 contestants from the U.S. and five other nations competing for a $50,000 prize.

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