On Thursday night, miscreants set fire to the residence of Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh in Imphal’s Kongba, in the northeastern state of Manipur.
While the minister was in Kerala, his Imphal residence was set on fire.
Speaking to ANI, MoS MEA said, “It is extremely sad to see what happened last night. I was told that more than 50 miscreants attacked my home at around 10 pm. Damage has been done to the ground floor and the first floor of my residence. Neither me or anybody from my family was present during that time. Thankfully, nobody got injured.”
While Singh comes from the Meiti community, he has continued to appeal to both sides to stay away from violence and restore peace in the state.
“An eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind. Violence doesn’t help any cause. Those who are indulging in this violence are doing a huge disservice to the nation. It also reflects that they are enemies of humanity,” Singh tells ANI.
On June 14, nine people were killed and more than ten were injured in Imphal East. The state government yesterday extended the internet ban in the state until June 20.
Miscreants attempted to burn down the official residence of Manipur minister Nemcha Kipgen in Imphal West on Wednesday. His house was partially destroyed by fire.
There have been restrictions in the state of Manipur for the last month and a half, including a ban on the internet.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid a four-day visit to the northeastern state on May 29, meeting with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, leaders of all political parties, civil society, women groups, tribal groups, and security personnel.
Shah had announced the formation of a peace committee in the state. The committee was formed just days after the Home Minister’s announcement.
On May 3, Manipur was engulfed in violence as clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei on the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.
The state has been gripped by ethnic violence for more than a month, following a High Court directive asking the state government to consider including the Meitei community on the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Central paramilitary forces were stationed in the state to quell the violence, and they are still stationed throughout the state.
