Amid the continuing unrest in Manipur, northeast of India, a mob set fire to Union Minister of State for External Affairs RK Ranjan Singh’s residence in Kongba, Imphal, late Thursday night.
While speaking to the media, MEA Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said, “I am currently in Kerala for official work. Thankfully, nobody got injured last night at my Imphal home. The miscreants came with petrol bombs, and my house’s ground floor and first floor are damaged.”
Despite a curfew in Imphal, the mob got to the minister’s home in Kongba. According to officials, nine security escorts, five security guards, and eight more guards were on duty at the minister’s home.
During the attack, the mob flung petrol bombs from all sides, according to a security guard at the minister’s home.
“We could not prevent the incident as the mob was overwhelming, and we could not control the situation. They threw petrol bombs from all directions.. from the bye lane behind the building and the front entrance. So we could not control the mob,” L Dineshwor Singh, Escort Commander, said.
Around 1,200 people, according to the escort commander, were a part of the crowd.
This is the second time a mob has attacked the minister’s home. Security forces fired into the air during the incident in May to scatter the crowd.
Recently, nine people, including women, were killed after fresh violence erupted in the state.
In May, at least 40 suspected militants and two police officers were killed after violence broke out in the state.
Following an upsurge in interethnic violence last month that resulted in at least 100 fatalities, numerous injuries, and thousands of displaced people, the state has been on edge.
The violent demonstration led more than 30,000 thousand people to flee their homes for their safety, necessitating the federal government’s dispatch of thousands of troops to maintain security in the state.
The recent violence was sparked by tribal organisations’ protest marches over a plan to designate the majority of Meities as Scheduled Tribes.
Manipur’s curfew is now in effect in 11 of the state’s 16 districts. The internet has been shut off throughout the state to stop speculations from stoking unrest.
