Mumbai/Imphal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah cancelled his four scheduled election meetings in Maharashtra on Sunday and returned to Delhi to assess the escalating situation in Manipur, where irate mobs set afire the residences of three BJP legislators, including a senior minister, and a Congress MLA across various districts. On Friday, the mobs fire to several shops and houses around Jakurador Karong market, Borobekra police station, and the adjacent CRPF camp.
Security forces successfully thwarted agitators' attempts to storm the ancestral residence of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, officials confirmed.
Adding to the political turmoil, the National People's Party (NPP) withdrew its support from the BJP-led government in Manipur on Sunday. The NPP criticized the administration under Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, claiming that it has "completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy" in the northeastern state.
Fresh incidents of violent protests erupted on Saturday night following the killing of three women and children each by militants in Jiribam district. Protesters attacked the homes of PWD minister Govindas Konthoujam in Ningthoukhong, BJP MLAs Y. Radheshyam in Langmeidong Bazaar and Paonam Brojen in Thoubal district, and Congress legislator Th Lokeshwar in Imphal East district. The legislators and their family members were not present during the attacks. The mobs vandalised properties and partially set houses on fire, but fire services intervened promptly to prevent complete destruction.
On Saturday night, protesters also advanced toward Chief Minister Biren Singh's ancestral residence at Luwangshangbam in Imphal East but were halted 100-200 metres away by security forces. Personnel from Assam Rifles, BSF, and state forces deployed tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
Despite these efforts, protesters continued their unrest by burning tires on the main road leading to the residence and piling iron rods to block vehicular movement. The protests persisted until around 11 pm in the Mantripukhri area, approximately 3-4 km from the Chief Minister's ancestral home.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a prominent organisation representing the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur, announced that the funeral of 10 youths killed in an alleged gunfight with CRPF forces would be postponed until their post-mortem reports are provided to their families. The ITLF has convened an emergency meeting to decide on the future course of action regarding the funerals of the deceased in Jiribam district.
