Manipur, in India's northeast, has a new chief minister after being under direct federal rule, which was imposed a year ago, following ethnic violence that left more than 260 people dead.
Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a fifth-dan black belt in Korean martial art taekwondo, took oath last week, inheriting a state still scarred by clashes between the majority Meitei and the minority Kuki-Zo communities.
Since the 2023 violence, the communities have been largely segregated, confined to separate regions, with thousands displaced from their homes.
Singh has a long association with taekwondo and has taught the martial art for years. But he is also a seasoned politician. Despite long ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) ideological parent, the 62-year-old was a late entrant to electoral politics.
Singh, who belongs to the BJP, was first elected in 2017 and has since served as assembly speaker and a state minister overseeing portfolios including education and rural development.
