NEW DELHI : The top elected official in the Indian northeastern state of Manipur resigned on Sunday nearly two years after ethnic fighting broke out in the troubled state, resulting in the killing of over 250 people and affecting thousands of others.
“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…,” Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh wrote in the resignation letter submitted to the state’s governor in the capital Imphal.
For months now, the Indian opposition had been demanding the removal of Singh over the escalating tensions in the region.
The region’s top elected official in late December tendered an apology over deaths during the ethnic clashes.
The Indian government, however, has been maintaining that all steps are being taken to ensure peace in the troubled state.
A statement issued by the Manipur governor’s office said the resignation of Singh along with the council of ministers was accepted.
The chief minister was asked “to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made.”
Manipur has been witnessing violence since ethnic fighting broke out in May 2023, which resulted in the killing of over 250 people and affected thousands of others.
Fighting has taken place between members of the majority Meitei and the Kuki tribal communities in the state.
Meitei are mostly Hindu and dominant in the state’s population, while Kukis are mostly Christians, and among the most socio-economically disadvantaged groups in India.
On Sunday, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused Singh of “instigated division in Manipur.”
“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi allowed him to continue despite the violence, loss of life, and the destruction of the idea of India in Manipur,” Gandhi wrote on X.
“The resignation of CM Biren Singh shows that mounting public pressure, the Supreme Court investigation and the no-confidence motion by the Congress have forced a reckoning,” he said, adding that the no-confidence motion by the Congress has forced a “reckoning.”
Underlining the importance of restoring peace in the state and working to heal the wounds of the people of Manipur, Gandhi said: “PM Modi must visit Manipur at once, listen to the people and finally explain his plan to bring back normalcy.”
