Konthoujam Singh, Sanabam Mangang
The protracted ethnic conflicts in Manipur reflect the interplay of historical grievances, competing identity claims, contested territoriality, and institutional shortcomings, posing significant challenges to peace and democratic governance in India's northeastern frontier. This article critically examines the role of the state in negotiating peace within a fragmented polity marked by multiple ethnic actors, asymmetrical political representation, and recurring cycles of violence. Drawing on theories of conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and negotiated governance, the study argues that durable peace cannot be secured through coercive state responses alone but requires inclusive political dialogue, institutional legitimacy, and equitable governance. Employing a qualitative research design, the article analyses secondary sources, including government reports, judicial pronouncements, policy documents, academic literature, and publications of national and international organisations, complemented by discourse analysis of official statements and civil society interventions. The findings indicate that state-led conflict management has largely been reactive and security-oriented, addressing immediate violence while failing to resolve the structural drivers of conflict, including political exclusion, unequal development, contested land regimes, and declining public trust. The study further demonstrates that sustainable peace depends on institutionalised dialogue among ethnic communities, strengthened democratic institutions, recognition of customary governance mechanisms, and participatory policy frameworks that balance security with justice and reconciliation. By integrating state-centred conflict resolution with contemporary peacebuilding approaches, the article contributes to the literature on divided societies by proposing a framework for collaborative and inclusive governance that can inform peace processes in Manipur and other ethnically fragmented polities.