Protesters attack homes of Manipur ministers, MLAs after hostage killings

Protesters in Manipur stormed the homes of two state ministers and three legislators on Saturday, demanding swift justice for the murder of three individuals in Jiribam district. The incidents prompted the administration in Imphal West to impose indefinite prohibitory orders and suspend internet and mobile data services in seven districts to contain the unrest.

The mob attacked the residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapam Ranjan in Lamphel Sanakeithel area, vandalizing property and raising slogans against the government’s inaction. Similarly, demonstrators gathered outside the home of BJP MLA RK Imo, son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in Sagolband, demanding an immediate response to the killings and a deadline of 24 hours for the arrest of the culprits.

In another incident, protesters targeted the office of a local newspaper owned by Sapam Nishikanta Singh, an independent MLA, after they found his residence empty. The MLA, representing Keishamthong constituency, was reportedly out of the state during the incident.

The unrest stems from the discovery of three decomposed bodies near the confluence of the Jiri and Barak rivers in Jiribam on Friday. Among the victims were two children and one woman, suspected to be part of a group of six individuals abducted by suspected Kuki insurgents earlier in the week.

The hostages were reportedly taken during a gunfight between Kuki insurgents and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jiribam's Bokobera area. Ten insurgents were killed in the encounter, but the hostages were taken by another group of militants during the chaos.

Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic conflict between the predominantly Hindu Meitei and mainly Christian Kuki communities for over a year. The violence has led to deep divisions along ethnic lines, disrupting once-cohesive communities in the state.