Guwahati:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said that the state on its eastern side has been facing illegal infiltration problems from Myanmar, adding an alert is also being maintained in the state’s western as well as southern regions to block the illegal entry of people from the neighbouring country.

The Chief Minister said that Manipur has an inter-state border (204 km) with Assam. He said that Assam, along with Tripura, has also been facing infiltration problems from Bangladesh.

“If Assam could not detect the illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh, these migrants might enter into Manipur,” Biren Singh told reporters.

Assam and Tripura share a 263 km and 856 km border with Bangladesh, respectively. Most parts of the international frontiers of the two states have been fenced off, but some areas still remain unfenced.

The Chief Minister said that besides the security forces, indigenous people also must be alerted about the illegal infiltration from across the border.

Giving a stern warning against those people spreading wrong information, he said that appropriate strict action would be taken as per law against those people spreading hate speeches, false and fabricated information and narratives through the social media.

“No one has the right to disturb society, individuals and any family by spreading hate speeches, false and fictitious information through the social media,” Biren Singh said, adding that the government would not tolerate any irresponsible statements and views on social media.

Imphal:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said every misunderstanding should be resolved by discussions and that all recognised tribes of the state should live together. Speaking at 53rd Statehood Day celebrations, Mr Singh appealed to stop engaging or speaking on irrelevant matters, and diverting from issues.

Manipur became a full-fledged state on January 21, 1972.

“Every misunderstanding should be resolved with discussions by sitting together. Let’s stop from engaging or speaking on irrelevant matters and attempt to divert from issues. What we [state government] had said was proper identification of illegal immigrants and sending them outside. We never said anything against any of the old settlers of the state. All recognised tribes need to live together,” the chief minister said.

He appealed to take this opportunity to pledge collective efforts toward building a prosperous Manipur that upholds the values of harmony, justice, and progress, adding all communities should try to bring peace.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands left homeless in the ethnic violence that began in May 2023.

Mr Singh said the Manipur government launched a campaign against drugs in 2018 after seeing a large number of young people being swept away by drugs. The campaign brought a massive change, he said, adding that as of now some Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 crore worth of illegal drugs have been destroyed.

Poppy plantations which were earlier confined to Myanmar and Southeast Asian countries had suddenly spread to Manipur and drug factories were found in some specific localities, he said. More than 30,000 hectares of poppy plantations were destroyed and several village chiefs were arrested, the chief minister said.

“We must stand united and take a pledge to eradicate drugs,” he said. “What the BJP-led government is doing to leave a fully intact state for present and future generations.”

A moment of pride as I attend the 53rd Statehood Day of our beloved state at 1st Bn Manipur Rifles Ground, Imphal.

On this historic occasion, we honour the journey of our state, the sacrifices of our forebears, and the tireless efforts of every Manipuri who has contributed to… pic.twitter.com/1f25mEwXOh

— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) January 21, 2025

Later, replying to media queries, Mr Singh said, “I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and other dignitaries for congratulating the Statehood Day of Manipur. I also convey my best wishes to the people of the state. Let us from today bring peace and prosperity.”

PM Modi greeted the people of Manipur on their statehood day on Tuesday.

“Greetings to the people of Manipur on their Statehood Day. We are incredibly proud of the role played by the people of Manipur towards India’s development. My best wishes for the progress of Manipur,” he said in a post on X.

Greetings to the people of Manipur on their Statehood Day. We are incredibly proud of the role played by the people of Manipur towards India’s development. My best wishes for the progress of Manipur.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2025

On the banning of the Meitei script in Moreh town by the Hill Tribal Council (HTC), Mr Singh said, “The state is governed by the government.”

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today said “sorry” for the unfortunate developments in the northeastern state due to the ethnic clashes that started last year. The Chief Minister, however, said the year ends on an optimistic note and that he hoped that normalcy will return to the state in 2025.

“This entire year has been very unfortunate. I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what’s happening till today since last May 3. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I feel regret. I apologise. But now, I hope after seeing the last three to four months progress towards the peace, I believe by 2025, the normalcy will be restored in the state,” the Chief Minister said.

“I want to appeal to all the communities in the state, whatever happened has happened. You have to forgive and forget the past mistakes and we have to start a new life (towards) a peaceful and prosperous Manipur,” he said, adding that all 35 tribes in Manipur should live together In harmony.

The violence in Manipur has claimed over 180 lives since May last year, when violence erupted over the Meities community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and the tribal Kukis’ opposition to this.

The Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in Imphal Valley. The tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent of the population and reside mainly in the hills.

Imphal:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has condemned what he called “indiscriminate firing by Kuki militants on two villages in Imphal East district” on Friday.

A policeman and another person were injured in the firing that came from the hills, the police said.

In a post on X, the chief minister asked the central forces and the state police to work with proper coordination during such a situation.

“Strongly condemn the indiscriminate firing by Kuki militants at Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi in Imphal East, which injured civilians and security personnel. This cowardly and unprovoked attack on innocent lives is an assault on peace and harmony,” Mr Singh said in a post on X.

“Adequate security personnel have been rushed to the affected areas. The injured are receiving necessary medical assistance, and the government calls for calm and unity in the face of such challenges. Central forces and state police should have proper coordination and understanding when dealing with such situations,” the chief minister said.

The two villages are near the foothills. Visuals from the area show people from the Meitei community including elderly women and children running amid the sound of automatic gunfire.

“They are firing from everywhere. Bullets are flying,” a man carrying an elderly woman on his back said in another video. “Tamo (brother), come here, don’t stand there,” he said to an old man who stood some steps away in the open.

Armed men from the hilltops started firing indiscriminately and hurling bombs at 10.45 am at Sanasabi village and adjacent areas, forcing security personnel to retaliate, a police officer told news agency PTI. “Armed men also launched attacks at Thamnapokpi village at 11.30 am, creating panic in the area.”

Security forces, including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, rescued several women, children and elderly people who were caught in the crossfire, PTI reported.

Former Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court Siddharth Mridul on Tuesday said every time the situation in Manipur seems to be getting better, fresh violence breaks out.

“… The reason why I believe that there is somebody interested in keeping the pot boiling is that every time the situation seems to be normalising, there is a fresh injection of violence, which leads me to believe that there are forces that are external, not internal. Even if the forces are external, they do have collaborators locally who ensure that the agenda of keeping Manipur burning is pursued vigorously,” Justice Mridul said at an event in Delhi.

“I am beginning to subscribe to the idea that there does seem to be an invisible hand. Whose hand is it is not clear to me yet. There could be a number of factors at play,” he said.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meiteis and the Kuki tribes have killed over 250 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category.

The Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

With inputs from PTI

Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi:

The Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) timely intervention during a “terror attack” in Manipur’s Jiribam district prevented the loss of several lives, Chief Minister N Biren Singh told NDTV on Thursday.

Mr Singh said “10 Kuki terrorists” tried to enter a relief camp in Jiribam’s Borobekra where 115 internally displaced people were living, but the CRPF foiled their plan. All the 10 were shot dead in a gunfight with the central forces on November 11 in Borobekra, a village on the interstate border with Assam. One CRPF soldier was injured.

“If the CRPF was not deployed, the lives of many civilians would have been lost. The Kuki terrorists came with rocket launchers, AK 47, and many sophisticated weapons. They attacked the (police) camp, and killed two people on the spot,” Mr Singh told NDTV.

“They were trying to enter Borobekra relief camp where 115 Meitei civilians were living. But due to the timely intervention by the CRPF, the lives were saved. Otherwise that scenario could have been different. It’s very unfortunate that eight innocent people were killed. The two died in the attack, and six including three small children were kidnapped and mercilessly killed. It is an intolerable crime,” the Chief Minister said.

Civil society groups and leaders of the Kuki tribes have claimed the 10 men were “village volunteers”. The police have, however, called them “militants” and showed assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher as recovered from them. A bullet-ridden vehicle of the security forces was shown as one of the targets of the “militants”.

At least two dozen suspected Kuki militants had split into two groups before launching the attack in Borobekra, police sources had told NDTV. While one group took six Meitei hostages, the other group of 10 men vandalised and set fire to houses, and killed two senior citizens from the Meitei community. These 10 were later shot dead in the encounter with the CRPF, police sources have said.

The six hostages were from the same family – a woman, her infant child, her two-year-old son, her mother, her sister and her sister’s daughter – all were killed in captivity by suspected Kuki militants. Their bodies were dumped into a river. Days before the Borobekra attack, a mother of three from the Hmar tribe was allegedly raped and killed by suspected Meitei militants during a night attack on a village in Jiribam.

Mr Singh said the Manipur cabinet’s resolution was placed “after a lot of thought”, adding the Centre sent more forces to catch the “militants”. “You can’t deal with Kuki militants without the forces. The operations have already started. This was the demand,” he added.

The Manipur cabinet has sought to declare the militants involved in the Jiribam terror attack of taking hostages and killing them as an unlawful organisation, or a terror group. He expressed confidence that the Centre would look into the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, by keeping in mind the “pulse of the people of Manipur” and will surely do something about it.

The AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to the security forces to operate in “disturbed areas” without fear of court proceedings, was reimposed in six police station areas of Manipur’s valley region.

Protests had also broken out in the valley areas when the partially decomposed bodies of the six hostages were found. The Chief Minister told NDTV that vandalism that happened during the protests was carried out by vested interests and rivals.

“The people came out to protest in shock after hearing about the killings of the six innocent women and children. They were simply rallying and appealing to the government and MLAs, not involved in the violence. The arsonists stole many things from the houses they targeted. It was not the public. They were peacefully protesting, rallying. The troublemakers were the defeated group, politically desperate group, politically motivated gang, who looted and attacked homes. No one from the public attacked the MLAs’ houses. The public was in the bazaar, protesting,” Mr Singh said in the state capital Imphal.

The Chief Minister said that in one MLA’s house, some 600 people came and spoke to him, and after agreeing to their demands of bringing justice in the Jiribam terror attack case, the group of people left.

“Another group of 200 or so people came. These were the ones who created trouble. We have identified them. There is video evidence. Most wore masks, but we know them. They have stolen gold, cash, even eight paddy bags from an MLA’s house. What’s all this?” Mr Singh said.

On the much controversial War on Drugs campaign, the Chief Minister said at least 500 acres of poppy cultivation has been detected in Kangpokpi district, which sprang up fast as the security forces are tied up with other priority tasks.

“Due to the present crisis, security has been tied up in some areas and cannot go out. Taking advantage of this, six villages in Kangpokpi are cultivating a huge amount of illegal poppy. Earlier, the forces used to go in the morning and evening to destroy illegal poppy cultivation. At least 500 acres are being cultivated,” Mr Singh told NDTV.

“We have asked the Chief Secretary to send forces to destroy the poppy farms in Kangpokpi before they can be harvested. They want to destroy the youth of Manipur by making them addicted to drugs, they want to harm India. They are using many strategies to invade India,” he said.

The Kuki tribes have often criticised Mr Singh for allegedly singling out the community and branding them as a people who encourage drug trafficking, even though many members of other communities have been arrested in narcotics cases.

To bring peace in Manipur, Mr Singh said, the Centre had called both sides and started talks. “From the state government’s side, we sent MLAs, leaders to Guwahati, Kolkata, Delhi for talks. Political dialogue, negotiations, interactions, these are the things that will help bring peace,” he said.

He faulted the media for allegedly not reporting the whole picture from Manipur, where he said trouble is confined to two-three districts, and not the entire state where people from different communities are living together in peace.

“Differences between communities have been there for a long time. After my government came, I launched the go-to-hills campaign, go-to-village, meet with people from different communities, bring them together, we honoured every community, and constructed a museum of everyone’s culture and traditions,” the Chief Minister said.

“The Sangai ethnic park has the model of houses of every tribe to show oneness… we are all proud Indians, we are all proud Manipuris, and almost succeeded except for the present scenario with this one community. But other communities are living together. Go to Imphal and see. There are churches, temples, masjids. Trouble is happening only in one-two districts, not the whole Manipur. The national media needs to be aware of all this,” he said.

When violence broke out in May 2023, temples were razed and set on fire in many hill areas, while churches in the valley areas also suffered the same fate.

To a question about the National People’s Party (NPP) withdrawing support to his government, Mr Singh told NDTV he is not worried.

“The Congress has only five leaders. They won only five seats after 15 years… There’s nothing to worry about. Whether the NPP withdraws or not, there is enough of a majority. Those who want to give an excuse at a time when the state is going through hardships, let them be. For example, if a lifeguard runs away when an incident is about to happen, let him run away. I am here to save everyone,” he said.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

Shillong/Imphal:

The National People’s Party (NPP) on Sunday withdrew support to the BJP-led government in violence-hit Manipur, claiming that the N Biren Singh dispensation has “completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy” in the northeastern state.

The NPP has 7 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly.

In the last few days, the situation in Manipur further deteriorated and many more innocent lives have been lost and people in the state are “going through immense suffering”, the NPP claimed in a letter to BJP chief J P Nadda.

The National People’s Party today decided to withdraw its support from the Manipur coalition government.

NPP National President and HCM Shri. @SangmaConrad in a letter to the President of BJP Shri. @JPNadda ji informed that by witnessing the deterioration of law pic.twitter.com/FGo3RCxdkz

— National People’s Party (NPP) (@nppmeghalaya) November 17, 2024

“We strongly feel that the Manipur state government under the leadership of Shri Biren Singh has completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy.

“Keeping the current situation in mind, the National People’s Party has decided to withdraw its support to the Biren Singh government in state of Manipur, with immediate effect,” the letter said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Imphal:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Friday that over 10,000 illegal immigrants have been detected in Manipur in the past five years.

“The Free Movement regime (FMR) has been kept under suspension by the state government since June 29, 2021, and the Union Home Ministry has recommended to the Ministry of External Affairs that the FMR be scrapped entirely. The government is in the process of establishing six new police stations and 34 police outposts in the border areas of the State,” the chief minister said in the Assembly during the ongoing budget session.

Replying to a question from MLA Surjakumar Okram, Mr Singh informed the assembly that the 10,675 illegal immigrants are from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Norway, China and Nepal. 

Stating that around 85 illegal immigrants were deported, Mr Singh added, “Around 143 immigrants are in the detention centre. The state government has incurred Rs 85.55 lakh for the maintenance of detainees in the centre.”

The issue of immigrants has become all the more important in Manipur ever since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 last year. The clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000

The general category Meiteis want to be included in the Scheduled Tribes category, while the nearly two dozen tribes that share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis. 

There have also been reports of weapons and people entering the state from other countries. 

In May this year, Mr Singh had said a demographic imbalance is occurring in the state because of an influx of illegal migrants from Myanmar, which he called a big threat to the security of the nation as well as the indigenous people in the state.

The chief minister had said the influx had led to the emergence of 996 new villages in the state since 2006. Massive deforestation was carried out to establish settlements and poppy plantations and the illegal immigrants started encroaching on the resources, job opportunities, land, and rights of the indigenous people, he had said. 

Imphal:

On rumors about a possible leadership change in crisis-hit Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that it was not in his hands and his focus is on solving the problem in the state.

“Staying on as Chief Minister or resigning is not in my hands,” Mr Singh told NDTV amid reports that a section of MLAs from his party and its allies are pushing for his removal.

Speculations about a leadership change have been rife since the BJP lost both seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Congress candidates wrested the seats from the ruling BJP and its ally Naga People’s Front (NPF).

Mr Singh attributed the Lok Sabha mandate to a “rebellious situation” and acknowledged public anger over his handling of the crisis.

“BJP’s vote percentage is not low. What we expected, we got. This time we got more votes than last time but lost due to the rebelling situation,” he said.

“I know people are angry with me for our handling of the situation. We accept it. The situation is very complex. We are not fighting with an identified enemy,” the Chief Minister added.

Tensions heightened in Manipur after ethnic violence between the Meiteis and Kukis erupted on May 3 last year, yet previous attempts to sway the party leadership have failed to yield results. Over 200 people have died and 50,000 have been displaced in the ethnic violence, which has continued to fester.

The Kuki groups are now demanding a separate Union Territory, a demand that Mr Singh downplayed.

“Out of 16 districts, disturbance is only 2-3 districts. The crisis is not that big. There is public unrest, but I can proudly say that schools, business and traffic are working well,” he told NDTV.

“Manipur is 2000 years old, and is now a proud state of India. Demand is a demand, but it cannot happen,” he added.

Mr Singh also said that the Manipur issue is on the priority list of the new central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The situation in Manipur has been brought up forcefully again by the opposition in the Parliament, which has found a new voice after it managed to defy all expectations and stop the BJP short not just of its target of 370 Lok Sabha seats but even of the majority mark of 272. The INDIA alliance now has 232 members in the Lok Sabha and the BJP has 240, with allies making up the rest of the NDA’s 293.

Imphal:

Even as the whispers about a possible leadership change in Manipur continue to get louder, Chief Minister Biren Singh has admitted that some MLAs from his party and its allies are in Delhi, but rubbished talk of their visit having anything to do with his resignation.

Over the past few days, there have been reports that a section of MLAs from the BJP and its allies, Naga People’s Front (NPF), National People’s Party (NPP) and JDU, are pushing for the chief minister to step down. 

Sources said that efforts to convince the BJP leadership to replace Mr Singh have been mounted several times since he became the chief minister in 2017 and gathered steam after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3 last year, but yielded no results. 

What’s different this time, however, is that the BJP has had to pay an electoral cost, having lost both of Manipur’s Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in the just-concluded polls.

On Friday, the chief minister said there had been a meeting with NDA allies – who have 53 of the state’s 60 Assembly seats between them, with the BJP alone accounting for 37 – the previous night, and it was decided that a memorandum for lasting peace in Manipur would be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We also discussed going to Delhi for a courtesy call with PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The MLAs entrusted me with getting the appointment, but since the Parliament is on and things are so hectic, I thought why should I disturb? When the meeting happens, I will also go. But some people have gone ahead. This has nothing to do with a resignation. Around 35 MLAs were present yesterday and we signed the memorandum,” Mr Singh said.

“We are also grateful to the PM and Mr Shah that they have put Manipur on their list of priorities for the first 100 days (of the new NDA term). Mr Shah has also held meetings with various agencies and our gratitude was part of the resolution,” he added. 

The situation in Manipur has been brought up forcefully again by the opposition, which has found a new voice after it managed to defy all expectations and stop the BJP short not just of its target of 370 Lok Sabha seats but even of the majority mark of 272. The INDIA alliance now has 232 members in the Lok Sabha and the BJP has 240, with allies making up the rest of the NDA’s 293. 

The ‘Almost’ Resignation 

Last June, when the pressure on his government was near its peak, the chief minister had almost quit. A minister had claimed he has left for the governor’s house with his resignation, but had turned back because of a human chain formed by hundreds of women in his support outside his residence in Imphal. It had also been claimed that his resignation letter was snatched from two ministers and torn up by people who wanted Mr Singh to remain the chief minister.

The opposition had dubbed the entire sequence of events a carefully orchestrated drama. 

Over 200 people have died and 50,000 have been displaced in the ethnic violence, which has continued to fester. 

Imphal:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said that no one had thought that a rally against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status would lead to violent attacks.

Mr Singh’s comment comes months after an ethnic strife broke out in the Northeastern state in May last year, which claimed more than 200 lives. Private and government properties were also destroyed.

A rally denouncing the Meitei community’s demand was organised by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023, following which violence began.

Addressing a government programme at Lamlai in Imphal East district, he said, “When ATSUM decided to hold a rally against the demand for ST status by Meiteis, there were no reports of any ulterior design by a section of the people.” All are entitled to express their opinions through a rally, the chief minister said.

“However, nobody ever thought the rally would lead to violence,” he said.

Mr Singh said the rally began around 9.30 pm and within an hour, a forest office was torched at Churachandpur at 10.30. A driver was also assaulted followed by attacks on the homes of others, he said.

“However, no such violence was reported in Naga-inhabited areas of Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Senapati. We need to understand who wants to break Manipur,” the chief minister said.

Security personnel have been deployed at almost all vulnerable areas as the government wants to protect people, he said adding that the whole country stands by Manipur.

“All are people of the state. Entry of illegal immigrants and setting up new villages by them are all we want. We are not against the original villages and people. Poppy cultivation should also stop. We need not forget the support of the Centre,” he said.

At least 219 people have been killed in ethnic strife in the state since May last year. The violence erupted on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)