Embattled Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday apologised for the violence that has roiled the state for 19 months and appealed to warring groups to forget the past, marking the first public expression of regret over the ethnic strife that stoked sweeping condemnation of his administration’s role and repeatedly triggered calls for his resignation.
The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader focussed on the importance of discussion, defended his government’s efforts at restoring peace, and called on groups to move on from the past.
“This entire year [2024] has been very unfortunate. I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what has been happening…since last May 3 [2023]. I feel regret. I apologise. But now, I hope after seeing the last three to four months progress towards peace, I believe in 2025, normalcy will be restored in the state,” said Singh, who has repeatedly dismissed calls for his resignation, including from within his party.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been roiled by ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community, and the tribal Kukis, with other groups increasingly sucked into the clashes over the last few months. At least 260 people have lost their lives, and another 50,000 have been displaced. After a brief lull, fresh bursts of violence erupted in Novemberthis year.
The Kuki-Zo community said Singh’s apology was an attempt to absolve himself of the crisis and an outreach to his own “base constituents”. Meitei groups, however, called the statement a positive step towards restoring peace but added that “some forces” in the hills were not allowing normalcy to return. The Congress said it took the CM 19 months to tender an apology, which is not enought.
Singh has been under fire for almost two years over his administration’s failure to arrest rampaging militancy or stop outfits from looting armouries, prompting the chief minister of neighbouring Mizoram, Lalduhoma, to call him a liability for the state and say that even President’s Rule was preferable over the current regime.
But Singh has repeatedly resisted calls for his resignation, including one as recently as November, rejecting allegations that his government was biased against the Kukis and unable to crack down on militant outfits such as Arambai Tenggol.
On Tuesday, Singh attempted to turn the page.
“Whatever happened has happened… I want to appeal to all communities to forgive and forget our past mistakes and start life afresh by living together in a peaceful and prosperous Manipur,” the CM said, addressing the media at his residence.
He said that the situation on the ground was improving.
“Peace is being restored in Manipur, and the only solution lies in discussion and dialogue, which the central government has already initiated. From May to October, 2023, 408 firing incidents were reported. From November 2023 to April 2024, there were 345 firing incidents, whereas from May this year till now, 112 firing incidents were reported,” Singh said.
The comments come amid mounting pressure on Singh, whose government has been unable to quell rising violence in Manipur in recent weeks, especially after the encounter killing of 10 tribal people on November 11and the brutal murder of six Meitei people days later. On November 17, the National People’s Party (NPP) also pulled out of Singh’s government even as the Union government rushed 70 additional companies of paramilitary personnel—roughly 9,000 men – to the state. On November 29, in an interview to HT, Lalduhoma — whose state is home to large numbers of Kuki-Zo people — said Singh was a liability for the state, its people and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and even President’s Rule was preferable compared to his administration. “If his service is still needed, in my opinion, it is a necessary evil. More evil and less necessary,” he told HT.
Singh’s government later criticised Lalduhoma and said he was stoking the fire of hate and division. In an interview to HT on November 22, Singh dismissed the suggestion that he should step down and said that he was the leader and protector of all communities in the state, except illegal immigrants and drug peddlers.
On Tuesday, he kept up his attack. “The government continues its efforts to identify illegal migrants entering the state without the required Inner Line Permit. Regarding illegal immigrants, the biometric registration process is ongoing,” Singh said.
He added that Aadhaar-linked birth registrations will be introduced in January to address the illegal population influx. “In the first phase, this initiative will be implemented in three districts on January 15. Birth registration will be made mandatory, and updates will be required every five years,” Singh said.
The violence has cast a shadow on Manipur’s society and deepened divides between communities. At present, close to 60,000 personnel, including from the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Central Reserve Police Force, and Manipur Police, guard the province. On November 14, the Centre also reimposed the stringent Armed Forces Special Powers Act in areas across five Manipur districtsdistricts of Manipur.
The fallout of the long-running ethnic hostilities has meant that the Meiteis, who live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, who predominantly live in the hills, have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. In response, security forces have created buffer zones in different border districts and set up camps and posts on highways. But often, militants from both groups use the hills and the jungle area to cross into other districts and attack each other as authorities struggle to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.
Last week, armed militants from Hills fired indiscriminately and hurled bombs at two villages in Manipur’s Imphal East district.
Singh defended his government’s relief efforts, saying 2,058 displaced families were resettled, including in Imphal West, Imphal East, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. He said the government deployed 17 to 18 additional companies of security personnel along the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Silchar roads. “The Manipur government is prioritising assistance to displaced people affected by the ongoing violence,” he said.
Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a Churachandpur-based umbrella group of tribal bodies, said the CM should take full responsibility for the violence as he hasn’t been able to bring the situation under control. “It’s about time Biren Singh apologised to the people of Manipur for all the violence and killings. He is unable to bring restore law and order in the state and he should take full responsibility for the violence. And for this he should step down as the CM. He should stop discriminating against the Kuki-Zo people if he really wants to bring about peace in Manipur,” ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said.
Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an Imphal-based joint body of Meitei organisations, called CM’s statement a “positive step” but said some groups with vested interest are still involved in stoking violence. “This is a positive step from the chief minister. Countless lives have been lost. It is high time that peace must return to the state. Despite all attempts, groups with vested interest are still involved in stoking violence. The state has been trying to contain the violence but some forces in the hills are not allowing this to happen,” COCOMI spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba said in a statement.
The Congress, which has led the demand for Singh’s ouster as the CM, said the apology was too little too late as it also questioned why PM Narendra Modi hasn’t visited the state. “It has taken 19 months for the CM to say what he has said today, and it is not enough. The real issue is not what the CM says or does not say. The real issue is why, for 19 months, the PM has not spoken; he has travelled all over the country, but he has not found time to go to Manipur,” senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said.