The Centre has given another extension to the Commission of Inquiry investigating the 2023 Manipur violence. The commission must now submit its report by May 20, 2026, a government notification issued on December 16, 2025, said. This is the fourth extension since the inquiry panel was formed on June 4, 2023. The three-member team is headed by former Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajai Lamba, along with retired IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and retired IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar. The panel was set up after ethnic clashes erupted on May 3, 2023, killing 260 people and leaving many homeless. The violence involved Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities over a tribal status dispute. The commission is tasked with probing the causes, spread, and government lapses related to the violence. It also looks into complaints or allegations made by individuals or groups. Previous deadlines for the report were extended from six months after the first sitting to September 2024, December 2024, May 2025, and most recently November 20, 2025. Manipur has been under President's rule since February 13, 2025. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been engaging with locals to restore peace. The Centre's notification said the commission must submit its findings “as soon as possible but not later than the 20th May, 2026.”