Editorial: Biren Singh’s apology sans remorse

Manipur Chief Minister’s perfunctory expression of regret will be meaningful only if accompanied by tangible solutions that go beyond military measures

Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh’s apology for the ethnic violence that engulfed the northeastern State for nearly two years sounds hollow and comes far too late. His public expression of regret, conveyed through the terse comments, “I feel regret…I apologise,” lacks both conviction and sincerity. It appears to be a desperate attempt to salvage his position following the violent attacks on November 7, which triggered widespread demands for his resignation — not only from the ethnic groups embroiled in the strife but also from leaders within the ruling party. The Biren Singh administration’s response has epitomised administrative paralysis as the Meiteis and Kukis descended into a bloody, civil war-like situation. One of the most glaring failures of the BJP government when the clashes erupted was its decision to dismiss them as “localised” and “one-off” incidents. By the time this impropriety was acknowledged, the clashes escalated into full-blown ethnic violence, exacerbating the administrative dysfunction. The so-called “double-engine sarkar” in Manipur failed on every front, grossly underestimating the gravity of the situation and rather relying on a “battalion approach” by opting to deploy security forces only instead of addressing the root causes.

The Manipur government’s approach was reactive rather than proactive, and its inability to implement effective countermeasures was compounded by the inexplicable silence of the Union government. One might have expected the Centre to nudge the beleaguered State government into action, but the deafening silence from New Delhi only hastened Manipur’s descent into chaos. The Union government’s reluctance even to acknowledge the gravity of the Manipur crisis — beyond sending paramilitary forces and the Indian Army to ostensibly quell the violence — has confounded civil society. Incidentally, the latest annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs reveals that a staggering 77 per cent of insurgency-related violence in the Northeastern States was reported from Manipur, underscoring the rapid deterioration of the State’s law and order situation. In this context, the Chief Minister’s perfunctory expression of regret will be meaningful only if accompanied by tangible solutions that go beyond military measures. Both the Union and State governments must collaborate to restore normalcy in Manipur and address the underlying issues that fuel the conflict. The studied silence of the Centre and its tacit complicity in downplaying the crisis stand in stark contrast to the aggressive criticism it levels against opposition-ruled States over far lesser disturbances. This selective outrage highlights a political calculus that disregards the welfare of citizens. Manipur’s predicament is a stark reminder of the perils of administrative thrombosis and political apathy. Concrete actions — not mere apologies — are imperative to heal the wounds of the State and prevent India from bearing witness to such avoidable tragedies in the future.

---