Manipur in turmoil: Minister's residence set ablaze; Centre assures foodgrain support to violence-hit state
3 min read 15 Jun 2023, 07:08 AM ISTNo specific group has claimed responsibility for the arson incident so far.
PremiumUnidentified individuals set fire to the official residence of woman Manipur minister Nemcha Kipgen, located in the Lamphel area of Imphal West district.
As reported by PTI, the incident took place on Wednesday night, following an attack by suspected miscreants on a village in the Khamenlok area of Manipur, resulting in nine deaths and ten injuries.
Fortunately, no one was present in Kipgen's quarters at the time of the incident. Firefighters promptly arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames before they could spread to nearby buildings.
No specific group has claimed responsibility for the arson incident so far.
In a separate incident that occurred around 1 am, armed miscreants surrounded the Kuki village located in the Khamenlok area, which borders the Imphal East district and Kangpoki district.
These individuals launched an attack on the village, leading to a gun battle between the attackers and the villagers. Both sides incurred casualties and injuries during the confrontation, according to officials.
Meanwhile, the central government provided assurance to the Manipur government that it would offer full support in maintaining an adequate stock of foodgrains in various regions of the state.
Additionally, the central government pledged to ensure regular supplies of the allocated quantities to the beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Manipur.
"The estimated stock position will be sufficient to meet the requirement in the coming month. The regular inflow of stocks will be maintained to ensure that there is no scarcity of foodgrains in any part of the state," an official statement said.
Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra visited Imphal on Wednesday to assess the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Manipur, considering the recent law and order concerns.
During his visit, Chopra held meetings with State Food and Consumer Minister L Susindro Meitei and Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi to discuss the functioning and effectiveness of the NFSA in the state.
According to the statement, the Centre has allocated an additional quantity of 30,000 tonne of rice in view of the current law and order situation for a period of three months -- June to August -- for non-NFSA beneficiaries to the Manipur government.
At present, the stock position at nine depots is 30,600 tonne, which is adequate against the total monthly allocation of 12,000 tonne under the NFSA and 6,500 tonne under non-NFSA.
The area lies along the borders of the Meitei-dominated Imphal East district and tribal-majority Kangpokpi district.
In Imphal East district and Imphal West district of Manipur, the district authorities have revised the curfew relaxation hours due to ongoing circumstances.
The relaxation period, which previously lasted from 5 am to 6 pm, has been shortened to 5 am to 9 am. Curfew remains in effect in 11 out of the 16 districts of Manipur, and internet services have been suspended throughout the entire state.
The recent ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has resulted in over 100 fatalities and 310 injuries. In response, the army and paramilitary forces have been deployed to restore peace in the state. The clashes initially began 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 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals - Nagas and Kukis - constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
(With inputs from PTI)