Manipur Violence: 6 Dead Bodies Found, Attack On Ministers' Houses; State On Boil Yet Again

Imphal: There was palpable tension in Manipur on Saturday with residents in Imphal hitting the streets to protest against the brutal slaying of six abducted persons on the Assam-Manipur border. The deceased included an 8- month-old infant, minors and women from the Meitei community, who were taken hostage by suspected Kuki insurgents from Jiribam district in neighbouring Assam.

Manipur has witnessed ethnic strife for more than a year between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The conflict has simmered since then. Asked to retrieve the situation, security forces fired tear gas shells and blank shots to disperse an unruly mob which had converged outside the residences of MLAs, mostly belonging to the Meitei community. Angry protesters attacked the houses of 2 ministers and 3 MLAs over the recent deaths shouted slogans and clashed with the police as the situation seemed to veer out of control. The mob also stormed the residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister, a senior officer said.

This is not Action film. #Manipur valley area Protest against killing of 3 person 2 children(8 years and 8 months )and 1 senior women.And this is how Central forces control on protesters. But my request to Central forces is that controlling mob in Meitei style needed in hill to. pic.twitter.com/XmwayzAf7W

— Rohit Nongthombam (@RohitNongt12246) November 16, 2024

📌BIG BREAKING

🚨#Manipur is burning again in massive protest.

Meanwhile Narendra modi after hectic schedule of Election rallies back to back in states,left for Nigeria without speaking single word.

This time CM house was almost stromed.

2 Years of Arson and Riots.😭😰 pic.twitter.com/BCgDIvNWfr

— Manu🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@mshahi0024) November 16, 2024

Curfew Imposed

In a knee-jerk response the state government imposed curfew in Imphal West and Imphal East districts. Internet services and data sharing services were also suspended. The crowd was also angry at the recent decision to re-impose the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in six police jurisdictions across the state; protestors have underscored that such steps only deepen public discontent and fear.

Ministry Of Home Affairs Intervenes

With no let-up in violence, the Ministry of Home Affairs intervened, directing all security agencies in the state to take necessary steps to restore peace and maintain order, as the situation remains "fragile”. “Armed miscreants from both communities in conflict have been engaging in violence leading to unfortunate loss of lives and disruption in public order,” MoH said in a statement on Saturday. The affected districts include Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur.

Congress Party Takes A Dig At PM Modi

The Congress Party took a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of giving precedence to foreign trips over addressing the Manipur crisis. (Prime Minister Modi on Saturday left on a three-nation trip to Brazil, Nigeria, and Guyana. In Brazil, he would attend (G20 annual summit) Congress leader and party’s communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said, "For the next three days, we will be spared the non-biological PM's lie-surplus, dignity-deficit election campaign. He is off on his periodic foreign trip, where he will try to score domestic political points instead of showing true statesmanship.