Fresh attacks, arson as Manipur remains tense

A tense Sunday unfolded for Manipur as more rioting and arson was reported, including targeting of the homes of several legislators and demonstrations despite curfew, even as the bodies of two victims from a family that has lost six members to attacks from militants were found with gory injuries, a discovery that could further inflame the ethnic conflict.

The rapidly deteriorating situation prompted Union home minister Amit Shah to cancel his Maharashtra election rallies and rush back to Delhi for emergency meetings with security officials. Shah will chair a detailed review meeting at North Block on Monday as the Centre scrambles to contain the violence. The government has also dispatched CRPF director general Anish Dayal Singh to Manipur.

The ripples rocked political alignments as well with the National People’s Party (NPP), which has seven MLAs in the 60-member assembly, on Sunday withdrew support from the BJP-led government in Manipur, claiming that the N Biren Singh dispensation has “completely failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy” in the northeastern state.

While the NPP’s move will not threaten the government since it has a majority of its own in the assembly, the worsening crisis has threatened to spark dissent within the BJP after a ruling MLA, speaking anonymously, told HT that “two MLAs left for the national capital on Sunday evening to discuss the crisis” and 19 in all are considering resigning. “There is no meaning in continuing to be a legislator in this situation,” one legislator told HT on condition of anonymity.

Reacting to the escalating crisis, former Manipur CM and senior leader Congress stalwart O Ibobi Singh on Sunday blamed the state and central governments for the deteriorating situation.

In a press conference at his residence, Ibobi stated, “The ongoing turmoil in the state is a direct result of the failure of governance at both state and central levels. Had the governments been competent, the situation would not have reached this stage.”

On calls for Biren Singh’s resignation and the imposition of President’s Rule, Ibobi remarked, “Demands for Biren Singh’s resignation are an internal BJP matter. As for President’s Rule, the people of Manipur do not support it. This crisis must be addressed through constitutional means, not central rule.”

Among the key triggers is the discovery on Sunday of the bodies of a 65-year-old woman and her two-and-a-half-year-old grandson floating in the Barak river in Assam’s Cachar district, approximately 30km from where violence erupted in Jiribam. They were identified as part of a six-member Meitei family abducted on November 11 during a festival celebration.

“As of now, five members of our family, including my wife and daughter have been found dead and I have identified their bodies. My sister-in-law, Laisram Heitombi Devi, 25, is still missing, and we are afraid she has also been killed,” said Uttam Singh from Jiribam, who identified the bodies as those of his mother-in-law Yurembam Rani Devi and nephew Laisram Chingkheiganba Singh.

The other three bodies recovered earlier were of Singh’s wife Telem Thoibi Debi (31), daughter Telem Thajmanbi Devi (8) and another nephew Laisram Langamba Singh (8 months). All bodies were taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Singh, who works at a construction site in Meghalaya, recounted the last contact with his family. “My wife called me around 11:30am on November 11 but I couldn’t answer. Her phone was switched off when I tried calling back around 4pm. I wish I had attended the call. She must have called me when the house was attacked. Neighbours said that the militants came in six autorickshaws and abducted them in those vehicles,” he told HT.

On Sunday, angry mobs ransacked offices of both Congress and BJP in Jiribam district, where an unidentified body was found earlier Sunday. In Imphal Valley, protesters ransacked a building owned by Independent legislator Ashab Uddin.

These incidents followed Saturday’s violence when irate mobs set fire to residences of three BJP legislators, including a senior minister, and a Congress MLA in Imphal Valley. Security forces also thwarted attempts to storm chief minister N Biren Singh’s ancestral residence.

“The situation is relatively calm today but unpredictable,” a senior state police official told Reuters, adding that 23 people were arrested for attacking lawmakers’ homes.

Describing one such attack, an eyewitness detailed how violence unfolded at Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar’s residence, where around 500 internally displaced people have been sheltering for over 17 months. “They demanded to meet the MLA. After some negotiation, some members, wearing combat dress, hurled petrol bombs around 9pm. Unknown assailants wearing face masks also fired rounds into the air,” said Sorokhaibam Ongbi Bishwarani, a resident.

In response to the escalating violence, authorities have deployed nearly 300 army and Assam Rifles personnel across key areas of Imphal Valley and Thoubal. “Following the resurgence of turmoil, the Security Forces received a requisition from the state police department for deployment of troops in various parts of Imphal Valley to assist in maintaining law and order and restoring peace,” an official said.

Authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew in Imphal valley and suspended internet services in seven districts - Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangkokpi, and Churchandpur - covering strongholds of both Meitei and tribal communities.

The latest bout of violence began after a 31-year-old Kuki woman was allegedly shot, raped, and set on fire by suspected members of radical Meitei organisation Arambai Tenggol in Jiribam district on November 8. Security forces subsequently killed 10 suspected Kuki militants who allegedly attacked a CRPF post.

In Churachandpur, hundreds protested on Friday demanding justice for the 10 tribal men killed in the Jiribam gunfight, claiming they were village volunteers rather than militants. Their bodies were airlifted from Silchar to Churachandpur on Saturday after autopsies.

The Centre has rushed 20 additional paramilitary companies - about 2,500 personnel - to Manipur. The government also reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in areas under six police stations across five districts, though the state government has urged its withdrawal.

The ethnic conflict has effectively divided Manipur into two distinct enclaves - the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley and Kuki-majority hills - separated by buffer zones monitored by security forces. However, militants from both communities often use hills and jungle areas to launch attacks across districts, with security forces creating buffer zones and setting up camps on highways in response.