Manipur CM Biren Singh Resigns Amid Ongoing State Violence

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from office on Sunday, almost two years after ethnic violence had erupted in the state. The BJP leader handed over his resignation letter from the post of Chief Minister to the Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

In his letter to the governor, Singh said, “It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the central government for time actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single Manipuri.”

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Biren's resignation came in some hours after he came back from Delhi. On Saturday, Singh convened a meeting with the BJP-led ruling alliance MLAs at the CM Secretariat in connection with the upcoming assembly session beginning February 10.

Such meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the government led by Singh.

On Saturday, Biren Singh said his government has been making all efforts to restore peace in the strifed northeastern state and to ensure the people live together as before.

"The state government has been making all possible efforts to restore peace and to ensure that people live together peacefully as before," the chief minister had said.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh posted on X, saying that the CM's resignation was "belated." He took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "The people of Manipur now await a visit by our Frequent Flier PM who is off to France and the USA now - and who has found neither the time nor the inclination to go to Manipur these past twenty months."

Meanwhile, Congress leader Udit Raj reacted to Biren's resignation, saying, “...When the Congress was demanding him [Biren] to be removed at the right time, then he was not removed...A rift has been created between the two communities forever.”

"This government should not be there for such a long time. Removing the CM after everything was ruined does not make any sense....," Raj told nes agency ANI.

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What led to Manipur violence?

It was in May 2023 that ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern Indian state with a majority of Meiteis occupying the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo tribes from around the hills.

Ethnic violence was caused by the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status under an affirmative action, leading to widespread protests and clashes.

The All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) organized a counter-march against the demand on May 3, 2023, which clashed with the protesters and spiraled into violence.

Early riots were about houses and properties being destroyed and then moved quickly to both areas that were Kuki-dominated and Meitei-dominated actually targeting those minority communities.

How many people died in Manipur violence?

More than 250 lives have been lost, while thousands became homeless as ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023.

Reuters reported that seven Kukis and ten Meiteis died in the first week alone.

As much as 73 deaths, 243 injuries, and torching of 1,809 houses by mid-May 2023 was reported by the government, with voters and volunteers saying that it displaced over 46,000 people. The violence thus resulted in huge loss of lives, properties, and forced displacements, causing deep scars on the region28.

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