Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday apologised for the ongoing ethnic violence in the state, ANI reported.

“This entire year has been very unfortunate,” Singh told reporters. “I feel regret and I want to say sorry to the people of the state for what is happening till today, since last May 3 [last year]. Many people lost their loved ones. Many people left their homes. I really feel regret. I would like to apologise.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, however, expressed hope that peace and normalcy would be restored in the state in 2025. He urged all communities to move forward, “forget past mistakes” and work together for a peaceful and prosperous future.

At least 258 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmars communities in May 2023. There was an uptick in violence in the state in November.

The year 2024 saw ethnic violence persisting in Manipur. Gunfights continued along the buffer zone between the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and Kuki-Zomi-Hmar areas, with violence spreading to new regions, including Moreh and Jiribam.

“Till now, altogether roughly 200 people have died and around 12,247 FIRs [first information reports] were registered and 625 accused were arrested and around 5,600 arms and weapons, including explosives, and around 35,000 ammunitions were recovered,” Singh said on Tuesday, The Hindu reported.

“Good progress is there in tackling the issues,” he added.

The chief minister also said that displaced families had received sufficient funds from the Centre to build new houses.

“The Central government has provided enough security personnel and enough funds to help the displaced families and enough funds to construct new houses for the displaced persons,” Singh said.

The apology on Tuesday came amid calls for Singh’s resignation from both the allies of the BJP and several Opposition parties over his handling of the violence in the state.

Last month, the National People’s Party, which has seven MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, withdrew support to the BJP-led government in the state.

The party, headed Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, expressed its “deep concern” about the law and order situation in Manipur and said that the state government under Singh had “completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy”.

Another BJP ally, the Mizo National Front, also demanded Singh’s resignation amid the ethnic conflict in the state. The front is Mizoram’s main Opposition party.

Mizos share strong ethnic ties with the Kuki community in Manipur and the Chin tribes in neighbouring Myanmar.

The Opposition Congress has also repeatedly called for Singh’s resignation. The party has also previously questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state since the violence began.

On Tuesday too, the party questioned the prime minister’s silence on the matter.

“For 19 months, the chief minister did not say anything,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told ANI in response to Singh’s apology. “But the question is not what the chief minister said today. The question is why did the prime minister not break his silence on Manipur for 19 months?”

Ramesh asked why Modi had not visited Manipur since the outbreak of violence. “Why didn’t he meet with the MLAs there?” he asked. “Why didn’t he meet the political parties there? Why didn’t he meet the people there?”

He added that Singh was “just a puppet” and could say anything. “The real failure in Manipur is the prime minister’s,” he added.

In a post on X, Ramesh also claimed that Modi had “deliberately avoided visiting the state since May 4th, 2023, even as he jets around the country and the world”.

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