Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh Clarifies He Will Not Resign, Quelling Rumors and Protests

Manipur Chief Minister Biren N Singh put an end to the day-long rumour surrounding his resignation by clarifying that he would not be stepping down from his post. Earlier, thousands of demonstrators had blocked the Chief Minister’s convoy from proceeding towards Raj Bhavan, but Singh eventually reassured the women demonstrators that he had no intention of resigning as Chief Minister.

To further affirm his stance, Biren Singh took to Twitter, stating, “At this crucial juncture, I would like to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister.”

Women leaders met with Singh to defuse the situation and came out of the Chief Minister’s residence to assure the crowd that he was not resigning. After this statement, the mob gradually dispersed from his residence.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Chief Minister had drafted a resignation letter but was convinced by his supporters to tear it up. Some women agitators claimed to have seen the torn letter, and copies of it circulated on social media. The Chief Minister’s office did not respond to queries on the issue.

Earlier in the afternoon, hundreds of youth wearing black shirts and women sat down in front of the Chief Minister’s residence, demanding that Biren Singh should not resign.

Kshetrimayum Shanti, a women leader, voiced her opinion, stating, “At this critical juncture, the Biren Singh government should stand firm and crack down on troublemakers.”

Rumours had been circulating in Imphal since morning that the Chief Minister was contemplating resigning from his post following renewed violence in the state, which claimed three lives and left five injured on Thursday.

The toll in the exchange of fire between security forces and suspected rioters in Kangpokpi district rose to three on Friday, with one more person succumbing to injuries in the hospital.

Armed rioters had opened unprovoked firing at Haraothel village on Thursday, and security forces retaliated in a calibrated manner to tackle the situation, according to the Army. The bodies of two of the rioters were collected by members of their community, who took out a procession to the Chief Minister’s residence.

During the demonstration, led by women, some protestors challenged the police to arrest them and even resorted to burning tires on the road to hinder police movement. Security personnel had to use tear gas shells and resort to lathi-charge to disperse the violent mob when they were prevented from marching to Singh’s residence.

The ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has led to 100 deaths. Meiteis constitute approximately 53% of the state’s population and mainly reside in the Imphal Valley, while the Nagas and Kukis, who make up around 40% of the population, reside in the hill districts.

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