Angry mob sets several vehicles on fire in Manipur (Image – PTI)
Tensions have again reached a fever pitch after six people from a rescue camp in Manipur were abducted and three of them murdered. People took to the streets to protest the incident. Crowds in the capital Imphal turned so radical on Saturday that protesters in Imphal entered the official residences of two ministers and three MLAs demanding justice over the deaths of three people in Jiribam district. Following the incident, the Imphalsi (district) government imposed an indefinite curfew in the area.
A senior official said rioters entered the official residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapan Ranjan in Rampersana Kaital district, Press Trust of India reported. On the other hand, protesters also attacked the House of Representatives of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister L Susindro Singh. Some people came into the house. Meanwhile, they gathered in front of the residence of BJP MLA RK Imo and raised slogans. Imo is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Protesters insist on arrest of accused
Protesters demanded appropriate action from the government over the deaths of three people and insisted that authorities arrest the perpetrators within 24 hours. An official said the protesters at Tiding Road reached the residence of independent Keshamthong MLA Sapam Nishikant Singh but were told that the MP was not in the state. They then targeted the office building of a local newspaper he owned.
He said three bodies were found near the confluence of Jiri and Barak rivers on the Manipur-Assam border on Friday night. The three bodies are suspected to be three of the six people missing from the Jilibam area. The bodies of a woman and two children were found among the three whose bodies were found.
Mizoram government issues advisory to people of the state
Meanwhile, the Mizoram government has urged people of the state to exercise caution after rising tensions and violence in Manipur. The Mizoram Home Ministry issued a statement calling on the people of Manipur to refrain from actions that may incite public incidents in the state. Last week, more than 10 people died in Manipur’s Giribam district. Jiribam district borders Mizoram.
The home ministry statement also emphasized that the government will take steps to protect the safety of Mizo citizens, students and migrant laborers living outside Mizoram, especially in Manipur. The state government expressed sadness over the recent violence in Manipur and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and those injured in the violence.
