How Mob torches Manipur minister Susindro Meitei’s godown in Imphal?

 A group of people has set on fire a private godown of Manipur BJP Minister L. Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district, reducing it to ashes, police said on June 24.

 An attempt was also made to torch another property of the Consumer and Food Affairs Minister and his residence at Khurai in the same district on Friday night, but it timely intervention prevented it.

 Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till midnight to prevent the mob from fearing his Khurai residence, police said.

 No casualty was reported in the incident.

 Earlier, the official quarters of the State’s woman minister Nemcha Kipgen at Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people on the night of June 14. A house belonging to Union Minister R.K. Ranjan Singh was attacked and attempts were made to burn it down the next day.

 More than 100 people have lost their lives and numerous houses were torched, rendering many people homeless in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern State so far.

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

 Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal — Nags and Kukis — constitute another 40% of the population and reside in the hill districts.

 The Army said on June 23 that a large group of women who were part of a mob prevented the movement of additional personnel in areas bordering Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts in Manipur as “armed miscreants” opened fire at villages. Though no one was killed or injured in the incident,  The Army said a pattern had emerged in the past 20 days where armed miscreants sneak into villages and fire with automatic weapons while women protesters block roads, stopping the movement of security forces. 

 A defense source said as a counter-strategy, The Army too blocked roads at some distance to confine the mob and prevent miscreants from fleeing the area. 

 The Army’s Spear Corps tweeted that “in view of blocks by women-led crowd in Yaingangpokpi (YKPI), additional columns moved cross-country on foot to cordon the area”. 

 It said that to maintain peace and after consulting the local leaders, “blocks (established to prevent movement of additional miscreants towards the area) were partially lifted to give safe passage to miscreants & mob to withdraw from the area.” It said the situation is under control and being closely monitored.

 The Army said it was using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to monitor the movement of the mob. It released a 57-second UAV video clip on Friday, where scores of vehicles and people are seen blocking a road. 

 A day ago, groups of women had blocked roads at six locations in the same area, which was followed by bursts of firing from automatic weapons directed at the hill villages.