Another incident occurred in the Sagolband Bijoy Govinda neighbourhood of Imphal West district when a gang of unidentified persons abducted two AK series assault rifles and a carbine from the security guards of former state health director K Rajo. The incident happened on Sunday at around 2 am.
“Unidentified miscreants set on fire three abandoned houses in the New Lambulane area of Imphal West district on Sunday afternoon,” a senior district police official confirmed. No one was injured in the incident and fire tenders were able to douse the flames before spreading to other buildings.
In separate instances on Sunday in Imphal, the violence-plagued Manipur, three abandoned houses were set on fire and security guards had their firearms taken.
To disperse a mob that had collected and was trying to reach the location, security personnel had to fire several rounds of tear gas shells. One of the few Kuki-dominated communities in the Imphal Valley, which is primarily Meitei, is New Lambulane.
In the early stages of the ethnic conflicts that began in May, residents of the region had fled to hill regions with a Kuki majority.
“It will be nearly four months since clashes started, but violence hasn’t stopped. Just two days prior to the Assembly session, two incidents were reported in the Capital Imphal itself. It shows how the government machinery has completely failed,” said Manipur Congress chief K Meghachandra.
According to information from the Assembly secretariat, the Congress chief stated that obituary references, the schedule of the business advisory committee, and the introduction of government bills, if any, would all be included in the session’s activities.
“Congress legislature party chief and former chief minister O Ibobi Singh had demanded that the session should be held for five days so that elaborate discussions could be held on the present crisis. But the business advisory committee, which included chief minister N Biren Singh, declined,” said Meghachandra.
Assembly session for kne day
The government’s decision to call the Assembly session for just one day on August 29 has angered the opposition Congress. Two months before the start of the battles, on March 4, the previous session had come to a close.
Due to worries about their safety in Imphal, the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs in the 60-member House, including seven from the in-power Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have already announced that they will not be present for the session.
“We wanted a proper discussion on the present situation in the assembly, which is the best platform to find a solution. But it is unfortunate that the state government is bent on murdering democracy and doesn’t want the opposition to have any say inside the House,” Meghachandra said.
Sapam Ranjan Singh, the health minister and spokesperson for the government of Manipur, did not return calls requesting details about the session.
More than 50,000 people have been displaced as a result of the ethnic conflicts between the Meitei and indigenous Kuki populations in Manipur since May 3. Even though there have been fewer violent episodes, sporadic killings, shootouts, arson, and weapon snatching still occur.
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