Leaders from government, military, and industry gathered in Imphal for the Homeland Security Summit 2025
The strategic significance of Manipur, India’s crucial gateway to Southeast Asia, was the central focus of the Homeland Security Summit 2025, which recently concluded successfully in Imphal. Organised by Homeland Security, the one-day event convened key representatives from government, defence forces, academia, and industry under the theme “Integrated Security for a Changing World.”
The summit, marking the launch of an annual series, was explicitly designed to foster dialogue between public and private stakeholders on strengthening preparedness, collaboration, and technological innovation within the security sector.
Geopolitics & Persistent Challenges
Manipur’s location is vital to India’s Act East Policy and emerging trade corridors, but its strategic importance is intrinsically linked to complex security challenges. The state shares a porous border with Myanmar, making it susceptible to cross-border insurgent activity, smuggling, and internal socio-ethnic complexities.
In his address, Chief Guest Shri Arun Kumar Sinha, IAS, Principal Secretary, Government of Manipur, underscored the necessity of robust security. He defined the blueprint for a resilient Manipur around three pillars of integrated security: domain, institutional, and strategic integration.
The consensus from the summit was clear: strengthening infrastructure, surveillance capabilities, and public-private coordination in border management, logistics, and cyber domains is vital if Manipur is to successfully unlock its potential as a secure hub for regional commerce and connectivity.
Leadership, Digital Threats & Community
The necessity of collaboration was a recurring theme throughout the summit’s four thematic panel discussions, which tackled multi-dimensional security challenges.
The panel topics spanned:
Security Leadership in the Hospitality and Service Sectors (repeated to emphasise its importance).
Safeguarding Data, People and Organisations in the Digital Age (repeated to emphasise its importance).
Towards a Secure and Resilient Manipur – Collaboration, Capacity, and Community.
Key figures participating in these debates included Sh. Mayanglambam Rajkumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner Imphal West, Major Paul Devassy, CEO of IIRIS Knowledge, and industry leaders such as Sh. Hervirender Pal Singh (Head Global Security Operations, India and Middle East, Walt Disney Company) and representatives from Marriott International.
Kunwar Vikram Singh, Chairman of CAPSI, used his keynote to trace the evolution of India’s private security industry, stressing the ongoing importance of stringent training and regulation under the PSARA (Private Security Agencies Regulation Act).
The event also included a practical public safety measure with the launch of the “Homeland Guide,” a pocket-sized safety and information handbook for citizens and visitors to Manipur, featuring essential emergency contacts and public safety tips.
Shri Rajkumar Babloo Singh, Director of the Homeland Group, described the summit as “a convergence of thought, technology and collaboration,” affirming the Group’s commitment to building lasting security partnerships.