Manipur violence: Civil society gives 24-hour ultimatum to govt after mob attacks N Biren Singh's home
Imphal/IBNS: The Manipur government has been given a 24-hour ultimatum by civil society groups to take decisive action against armed militant groups.
This comes after fresh unrest in Manipur on Saturday evening where a mob attempted to storm into the residence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Security forces had to deploy tear gas to disperse the mob, which gathered to protest the death of six missing people in the Jiribam district.
Among those discovered dead were an infant and two women triggering the public outrage over the government's alleged inaction and lack of communication.
The bodies, including that of an eight-month-old child, were recovered from the Barak River in Jiribam.
These individuals had been missing since Monday, following violent clashes in which 10 armed Kuki men were killed during gunfight with security forces.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government has urged the Centre to review and revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a contentious law granting extensive powers to security forces, recently reinstated in six police station jurisdictions of the state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs reimposed AFSPA on November 14 in areas under Sekmai and Lamsang police stations in Imphal West, Lamlai in Imphal East, Moirang in Bishnupur, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi, and Jiribam in Jiribam district.
According to an NDTV report, protesters attempted to storm Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's residence on Saturday evening, escalating tensions further.
The Centre has deployed additional security forces and pledged firm action against violence from both sides.
However, calls for peace are yet to quell the mounting unrest.
Since May last year, Manipur has witnessed inter-communal clashes that have claimed over 250 lives and displaced approximately 60,000 people.
The violence stems from disputes over government grants and quotas in jobs and education, leaving the state divided over ethnic claims of land ownership and rights—Meiteis controlling the valley and Kukis dominating the hills.
Over the last 24 hours, mobs targeted the residences of several other lawmakers.
In one incident, protesters attacked the home of MLA Sapam Nishikant Singh, damaging the gate and bunkers.
Another group stormed the residence of MLA RK Imo in Imphal West’s Sagolband, setting furniture on fire and smashing windows, according to the report.
Protests also erupted in Imphal’s Khwairamband Keithel against the kidnapping and murder of the six victims.
The bodies were discovered near a river in the remote Jirimukh village in Jiribam district, close to the Manipur-Assam border, on Friday evening.
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