Aug. 3: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed a new governor in Manipur this evening after a series of meetings across the political spectrum, capped by talks with Sonia Gandhi in the presence of home minister Shivraj Patil and chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

Reports after the talks suggested that the Manipuris’ demand for revoking the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act would not be accepted, though the Prime Minister was concerned about winning back the confidence of the people of a state convulsed by protests for three weeks.

Official sources said the Prime Minister felt a “complete administrative overhaul” was the immediate answer because of the belief that the events, triggered by Thangjam Manorama’s death, allegedly in the custody of the security forces, were “mishandled” from top downwards.

A new governor, Shivinder Singh Sidhu, a former secretary of civil aviation, was appointed in the wake of reports that the incumbent, Arvind Dave, was sitting in Delhi while Manipur was in the throes of a law and order crisis. The sources said the chief secretary, too, could be replaced.

While changing the chief minister was described by the sources as a “tricky proposition at this juncture”, Ibobi Singh was told to work in tandem with the Union home ministry on an “action plan”.

For much of the day, Singh was engaged in back-to-back meetings with leaders of the Opposition and parties supporting his government from outside to share his assessment of the developments in Manipur. Among the leaders he consulted was L.K. Advani, the previous home minister.

The NDa offered support to the government in its effort to resolve the crisis but said it was against scrapping the act.