Manipur violence: Residence of Union Minister R K Ranjan torched in Imphal; he says "I am shocked...law and order situation in state has totally failed"

New Delhi, June 16: Amid a resurgence of violence in Manipur, the residence of Union Minister R K Ranjan at Kongba in Imphal was torched by a mob on Thursday night. The Union Minister was not at home at the time of the incident.

 

 

 

 

 

“I am currently in Kerala for official work. Thankfully, nobody got injured last night at my Imphal home. The miscreants came with petrol bombs and damage has been done to the ground floor and first floor of my home,” Ranjan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, told the news agency ANI.

 

The Union Minister appealed to the people of Manipur to maintain peace. “It is very sad to see what is happening in my home state. I will still continue to appeal for peace. Those indulging in this kind of violence are absolutely inhuman,” he told ANI.

 

 

 

 "Someone tries to vandalize it, demolish, I feel shocked. I never expect such kind of attitude and activities from my fellow citizens of this state. I pray to God also not to happen again. This is the second time, the first time, I anyhow convinced them and the security protected.... that was in early evening. This time yesterday it was late night, around 10:30. Everything was normal, suddenly crowds of people came and attacked, I was told," Singh told.

"I do not know why they are attacking. There is no reason. In the whole process, I am trying to bring the peace, negotiating...my senior ministers and colleagues to bring normalcy in the state. In the meanwhile, this kind of unwanted incident happened. If my sons and daughters and family happens to be here...that burning and throwing of petrol, it seems to attempt on my life also," he said.

"Law and order condition in Manipur is a total failure. The existing government could not maintain peace that's why the central government has sent a lot of protections and Rapid Action Force. I don't know how the state mechanism is failure, I feel like that," he added.

The minister had told ANI earlier that about 50 miscreants had attacked his house. "It is extremely sad to see what happened last night. I was told that more than 50 miscreants attacked my home. Damage has been done to the ground floor and the first floor of my residence. Neither me or anybody from my family was present during that time. Thankfully, nobody got injured."

The minister said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called him and he informed that he was out of the state.
Singh hails from the Meiti community and has been making efforts for restoration of peace in Manipur which has witnessed ethnic violence.

"An eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind. Violence doesn't help any cause. Those who are indulging in this violence are doing a huge disservice to the nation. It also reflects that they are enemies of humanity," Singh told ANI.

 

This was not the only instance of a house being set on fire by a violent mob last day. According to the news agency PTI, at least two abandoned houses were set ablaze on Thursday afternoon, a day after an attack in the Khamenlok area left nine people dead and injured ten others.

 

No casualties were reported in the incidents as the houses that were torched were abandoned. The occupants had left after the ethnic violence started in the northeastern state early last month.

 

The incidents took place as the army and the Assam Rifles intensified their “area domination” operations in the aftermath of the recent spurt in violence in the strife-torn state. Army and Assam Rifles columns intensified patrolling, taking down barriers wherever they had been created.