Christian leaders in strife-torn Manipur state in northeastern India have welcomed the resignation of its chief minister, close to two years after the state witnessed unprecedented violence that claimed over 250 lives, mostly Christians.
Chief Minister Biren Singh submitted his resignation letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla who is the constitutional head of state, on Feb. 9 in the state capital amid continuing unrest between Kuki tribal Christians and Hindu-majority Meitei people. The resignation is “definitely a welcome move for the betterment of the violence-ravaged state,” said a Christian leader who did not want to be named, fearing retribution. “Now there is a scope for restoration of peace and reviving the shattered lives of the people of Manipur,” the Church leader told.
The tiny, hilly state with 3.2 million people has been in turmoil since May 3, 2023, after unprecedented violence broke out between the Meitei and indigenous Kuki people, who are a minority in the state but mostly Christians. The violence erupted after the Meitei people attacked Indigenous Christians, who were rallying to protest the Singh government’s decision to extend tribal status to the Meiteis. Kuki people say the extension of the status will help Hindu Meitei people eat up tribal benefits meant for weaker sections. Meitiei people are considered comparatively wealthy and politically influential, they say.
The violence persisted, and at least 11,000 houses and 360 Churches were burned down, and scores of Church institutions, including schools, presbyteries, and other offices, were destroyed. Kuki leaders accused Singh, a Meitei, of orchestrating and supporting the violence and demanded his resignation. But Singh refused, asserting that his government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), made all possible efforts to restore peace.
“The presence of Singh as the leader of the government was a major stumbling block for peace in the state as the indigenous Kuki-Zo people never trusted him,” another Church leader said. Singh, a state leader of BJP, “was outright a partisan leader who only represented the interests of his [Meitei] community.
Therefore, the state could not move forward with any peace talk until now,” the Church leader said. He expressed hope that the federal government under Modi “will now take appropriate steps to restore peace in the state.”