Facts apart, there’s a deeper moral reason to dismiss him; 16% of Manipur’s population, the Kukis, blame him for what’s happened. They regard him as a Meitei chauvinist and anti-Kuki. Last week, his official Twitter account seemed to corroborate this accusation. A series of replies from the handle – which were later deleted – attacked social media users demanding his resignation. On one instance, screenshots showed the account replied to a Twitter profile calling for his resignation with the reply, “Are you from India or Myanmar?”

What hope can there be of reconciliation if the man the Kukis appear to resent most of all continues as CM?

The second point I want to raise is about an incident at the end of June. A mob of around 1,500 people, led by Meitei women, probably members of the Meira Paibi group, surrounded the 3rd Army Corp camp in East Imphal and forced the release of 12 Meitei militants belonging to the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup. This is the group responsible for killing 18 soldiers in a 2015 ambush in Chandel. The 12 militants included a man who calls himself Lt. Col. Moirangthem Tamba, the alleged mastermind of the ambush.

These men should never have been released but they were. What’s worse is the women were supported by a BJP Meitei MLA, Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh, according to officials. He doesn’t deny he was present but insists he did not ask for the release of the militants. However, security officials have told this paper a different story. “The MLA was the one negotiating with the forces.”

The paradox is this happened just after The Hindu reported that Biren Singh was told by home minister Amit Shah to reach out to the Kukis and be bipartisan. At least one BJP MLA in Imphal appeared to be doing exactly the opposite. Why wasn’t the Shyamkumar Singh story picked up more widely by the media? Why did no one question the government, either in Imphal or Delhi?

My third concern is not just distressing but disillusioning. For over two months, Manipur has been deeply troubled. We’ve had arson, mob violence, targeted killings and, now, a ghastly beheading. Yet our PM has had nothing to say in public. In his most recent Mann ki Baat, he spoke of the cyclone in Gujarat but ignored the far worse trauma of Manipur. When a terrible earthquake hit Turkey, he was amongst the first to sympathise. But regarding the people of Manipur, his own citizens and, in fact, his voters, he’s stayed silent. About this, every Manipuri I’ve interviewed, Meitei, Kuki and Naga, feels let down. First, they were upset, then angry, and later, they felt betrayed. Now, they believe they’re unwanted.

The home minister has said he’s briefed the PM every single day about the Manipur crisis. The PM has also chaired meetings to address the crisis. I don’t question that.

But it makes it even harder to accept Narendra Modi’s refusal to speak in public. Beyond duty and constitutional requirements, there’s a moral demand for a head of government to articulate the nation’s concern. If he spoke, it would be on behalf of all of us. For, he would speak as our PM. But if he has nothing to say, Modi’s silence is only his own. It cannot represent the rest of us.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story. The views expressed are personal