Why Has Biren Singh Been Included in Manipur BJP’s Bid to Regain Power?

Political Push Coincides with Forensic Probe and a Violent Ambush Under Investigation

By Vishal Arora

October 6, 2025

A child displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur. Photo by Vishal Arora

N. Biren Singh, the former Chief Minister of Manipur, has arrived in Delhi with a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators and former ministers to seek the revival of an elected government in the state. His inclusion deserves scrutiny, as the Supreme Court has ordered a forensic examination of audio recordings that allegedly feature his voice making remarks linked by petitioners to the ethnic violence. The visit also comes two weeks after a deadly attack on an Assam Rifles convoy that intelligence agencies suspect was politically motivated.

The delegation includes several BJP MLAs from the valley region, and their stated agenda includes demands to reopen national highways, resolve issues facing internally displaced persons, and facilitate the formation of a “popular government,” as reported by NDTV. The group left Imphal on Oct. 4, and more party leaders and state officials are reported to have joined them. The Manipur Governor is also in the capital, as are the state’s Chief Secretary and Home Commissioner.

About a fortnight ago, an ambush in the valley town of Nambol on Sept. 19 left two Assam Rifles personnel killed. Intelligence agencies now suspect the attack may have been a contract killing with political motives. The operation took place in a civilian area outside the protection of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and marked the first such assault on central forces since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023. Security officials believe the attack may have been intended to create an image of instability under central administration and thereby strengthen demands for the return of an elected government, as reported by PTI.

And less than a month later, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the results of a fresh forensic examination of audio clips that allegedly feature Biren Singh’s voice making provocative remarks linked by petitioners to the ethnic violence that began in May 2023 and killed over 260 people and displaced nearly 50,000. The petition was filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, and a private institute, Truth Labs, has already deemed the recordings authentic.

The Court has expressed frustration at delays in forensic evaluation and ordered a national-level lab to independently verify whether Singh’s voice is on the tapes.

Taken together, these three developments (a sudden political push in Delhi, a violent ambush that security officials say could have political backing, and a pending Supreme Court-mandated forensic review of recordings allegedly involving the former chief minister) make it necessary to examine more closely the political and institutional context in which the push for reinstatement is taking place.

The most immediate concern is the nature of Singh’s re-entry into the political process. Although he has not been charged with any crime, the Court-ordered forensic examination has placed his leadership under renewed examination. According to NDTV, Singh addressed reporters at Imphal International Airport before leaving for Delhi. That the BJP Manipur unit’s efforts to restore the state government are apparently being led by Singh himself raises questions about whether the party unit values political expediency over institutional accountability.

Further, the Nambol ambush, which killed two personnel, took place in the Meitei-majority valley region where the BJP has drawn most of its electoral strength in recent years, and where insurgent violence had been quiet for months. The group traditionally linked to such attacks, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a banned insurgent organisation, did not claim responsibility, breaking from its longstanding practice. Intelligence agencies now believe the assault may have been carried out without the knowledge of PLA leadership, possibly with political intent. The fact that security forces arrested 15 suspects and recovered weapons looted from earlier clashes adds weight to the suspicion that the attack may have been part of an effort to unsettle the status quo.

The optics of backing or including a leader whose conduct is under forensic review, while the ground situation remains volatile and militarised, could set a dangerous precedent, especially in a state where public institutions have struggled to regain confidence. Besides, President’s rule was extended in Manipur in August for another six months, until February 2026. The urgency with which the Manipur BJP is now pressing for reinstatement is therefore difficult to explain.

What is at stake is the credibility of the state’s effort to recover from conflict. Even the suggestion that restoring an elected government is on the agenda is counterproductive when serious questions about the conduct of its potential leaders remain unresolved, and Kuki-Zo tribal people, including senior officials, still cannot safely enter the Meitei-majority areas where the government functions. It would be difficult to convince affected communities, and the wider Indian public, that talk of returning to local rule is guided by justice rather than political calculation.

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