"Cause Of Concern": Arvind Kejriwal On Attack At Minister's Manipur House

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today expressed concern over the situation in Manipur after the house of a Union Minister was set on fire by a mob of over 1,000 people last night. He said much more needs to be done to restore peace in the northeast state.

"Situation in Manipur is cause of concern for the whole country. Perhaps, much more needs to be done to restore peace," Mr Kejriwal wrote on Twitter, sharing a news report by NDTV.

In the latest incident of violence in the northeast state which has been witnessing clashes between two groups over the demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, the house of Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was set on fire by a mob in Imphal last night. The minister was not at the house at the time of the incident, officials said.

The mob managed to reach the minister's house at Kongba despite a curfew in Imphal. There were nine security escorts personnel, five security guards and eight additional guards on duty at the minister's residence at the time, officials said.

A security personnel at the minister's house said that the mob threw petrol bombs from all directions during the attack.

"We couldn't prevent the incident as the mob was overwhelming and we couldn't control the situation. They threw petrol bombs coming in from all directions.. from the bye lane behind the building and from the front entrance. so we simply couldn't control the mob," L Dineshwor Singh, Escort Commander, said.

The Escort Commander said that around 1,200 people were part of the mob.

This is the second time that the minister's house has been attacked by a mob. During the attack in May, the security personnel fired in the air to disperse the mob.

Clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Over 100 people have died since May 3 in clashes between the Meiteis, who live in and around the state capital Imphal valley, and the Kuki tribe, who are settled in the hills, over the valley residents' demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh, however, has said that infiltrators from "across the border" have caused the ongoing unrest in the northeast state.

Manipur shares around 400 km unfenced border with Myanmar.

"Security forces have launched a massive combing operation to arrest those involved in Urangpat and Yaingangpokpi areas. We would take stern action against the culprit as per the law," Mr Singh said.