Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Sunday, marking their first direct engagement since the outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur more than 14 months ago. The meeting was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Sources indicated that the meeting concluded positively, though details of the discussions were not immediately disclosed.

CM Biren has been in Delhi for the past two days, attending group meetings with the Prime Minister during the NITI Aayog session and a gathering of Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states.

The meeting comes amid criticism of the Prime Minister’s silence on the Manipur crisis. The recent general elections saw the Congress win both Lok Sabha seats from the state, intensifying scrutiny of the central government’s response.

The meeting also coincided with the removal of Manipur governor Anusiya Uikey and the appointment of Assam governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to oversee Manipur.

Over the 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, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

In addition to his meeting with PM Modi, CM Biren Singh also engaged with other senior BJP leaders during his visit to Delhi. He met with party president JP Nadda and various Union ministers, reflecting the gravity of the situation in Manipur and the central government’s commitment to addressing it.