Year endings are synonymous with pledges. But instead of a firm resolution to end the ongoing ethnic violence, the people of Manipur received a tepid apology from their chief minister, N. Biren Singh, along with a plea to forgive and forget past mistakes. Mr Singh’s gesture is too little and comes too late. The seriousness of the situation in the state demanded something more substantial from the chief minister. The ongoing conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos has led to an estimated 260 deaths; over 60,000 people have also been displaced in the strife-torn state. The latest annual report of the Union home ministry further highlights the scale of the problem. It says that in 2023, as much as 77% of the total violence witnessed in the northeastern region was accounted for by the ethnic conflagration in Manipur. Of the 243 incidents of violence in the Northeast, 187 took place in the beleaguered state. The rise in fatalities among civilians as well as security personnel, the report noted, can be attributed to the crisis in Manipur.

What can be deduced from the report is the inclination of the Central government to perceive Manipur’s troubles through the prism of law and order only. That perhaps explains the urgency to underline the — inadequate — measures taken to defuse the crisis. These included, according to the report, the deployment of additional security forces, the constitution of a unified command, as well as the employment of state-of-the-art technology like drones. It must be noted that in his address, Mr Singh, too, had praised the Centre for its countermeasures. But the crux of the matter is that Manipur requires an imaginative political intervention and civil solution to mend its fault lines. The prime minister — astoundingly, he is yet to visit Manipur — must take the lead in the political exercise that must be accompanied and complemented by parallel efforts by Manipur’s civil society and other legitimate stakeholders to bridge the chasms. Augmenting the security apparatus to tackle a crisis that is the result of the erosion of inter-community trust is a myopic step. Mr Singh has asked Manipur to forgive and forget. Violence and destruction of such magnitude cannot be forgotten or forgiven unless those responsible for the mischief are taken to task.