Four days following the resignation of chief minister N Biren Singh, Manipur was placed under president’s rule on Thursday. After ethnic unrest in Manipur that killed over 250 people and displaced hundreds more, Singh resigned over 21 months later.
As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, President Droupadi Murmu said, “a situation has arisen in which the government of that state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 356 of the Constitution, and of all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I hereby proclaim that I – assume to myself as President of India all functions of the Government of the State of Manipur and all powers vested in or exercisable by the Governor of that State.”
Additionally, suspended animation has been applied to the assembly. Biren Singh offered his resignation to Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in the state capital, Imphal, on February 9, a day before the state assembly was supposed to gather for the budget session, which was scrapped.
This is what Biren Singh wrote in his resignation letter, “It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the central government for timely actions, interventions, developmental work, and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single Manipur.”
Five days after the Supreme Court ordered a central forensics lab to report on audio tapes that were leaked and allegedly included Singh, who is said to have stated that the state’s ethnic violence was started at his request, Singh resigned.