Tensions flared in Imphal on Saturday as Manipur people protest outside Ministers houses and three MLAs, demanding justice for the brutal killing of six hostages in Jiribam district. The victims—three women and three children, including an eight-month-old—belonged to the Meitei community and were allegedly taken captive by suspected Kuki insurgents earlier this week, police confirmed.
In response, the administration of Imphal West enforced prohibitory orders throughout the district and suspended internet services for two days in seven areas, including Imphal West, East, Bishnupur, and Churachandpur.
Manipur protest: Houses of two Ministers attacked by mob with slogans and fire
The mob attacked the home of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapam Ranjan at Lamphel Sanakeithel demanding immediate government action, as people raised slogans in its front. In another incident, a gathering was seen in front of the residence of BJP legislator RK Imo, who is the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in Sagolband. They asked for the culprits to be arrested within 24 hours and demanded a stern reaction to the killings.
But, agitators targeted independent MLA Sapam Nishikanta Singh’s home on Tiddim Road after learning he was not in the state. Apparently upset, they also vandalised the office of a newspaper he owns.
The murders have heightened already fragile tensions in the northeastern state, where ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities have persisted for more than a year. Hostages who had been abducted from the Bokobera neighborhood of Jiribam reportedly were taken away during a gunfight between suspected insurgents and CRPF personnel.
Five days into the search, authorities found the bodies, thus exacerbating public outrage. The two communities have been reduced to such a level of division through differences between the communities, which are ethnically and religiously varied.
The protesters insist that the government has failed to provide security and calls for swift action against the perpetrators. Amid heightened tension, the state is under pressure to quell the violence that afflicts the region and restore order.
Also, see: Gold in India is now cheaper than UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Singapore