On Wednesday, January 8, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh described the ongoing ethnic violence in the state as “very unfortunate” and emphasised that the cause of the unrest began after the Meitei community sought Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Singh’s remarks come days after he apologised for the violence that has gripped the state for close to two years.
Speaking to a group of internally displaced persons at the CM Secretariat, Singh urged that politics should be avoided during a human crisis.
Reflecting on the violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, Singh stated, “The incident was extremely unfortunate. The root cause was the Meitei community’s demand for ST status. The state government is being unfairly blamed as if we were at fault.”
He added that the conflict stemmed from a directive by the Manipur High Court, which had instructed the state government to respond to the Meitei community’s request for ST status. In response to this order, a rally was organised to oppose the demand, leading to attacks on Meitei homes and sparking the violence.
On March 27, 2023, Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidaran of the Manipur High Court directed the state government to submit its recommendations to the central government regarding the inclusion of the Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list.
