Union minister R K Ranjan Singh’s house in Manipur attacked again; students take out peace rally

Imphal: A women's rally outside the Imphal residence of Union minister R K Ranjan Singh turned ugly when the protestors threw stones at it demanding that he speak in Parliament about the situation in the ethnic strife-affected state.

This is the second time in two months that the house of the junior minister for external affairs came under attack.

Students of Manipur University too took out a rally during the day demanding restoration of peace in the state. The police fired tear gas shells to disperse them as the youths crossed an area up to which permission was given to them to hold the rally.

The incidents occurred days after a video showing two women being paraded naked and molested by a group of men on May 4 in Kangpokpi district surfaced on July 19, attracting condemnation countrywide.

However, nobody was present at the house at the time of the attack and not much harm was done to it.

Security personnel posted at the house in Kongba locality in Imphal town dispersed the protesters who also sought restoration of internet services.

“We demand that the minister speak in Parliament about the situation in the state. We want internet services back. We want to tell people what is happening to us,” one of the protestors said.

The authorities banned internet services across the northeastern state for the first time on May 3 when clashes between ethnic communities began. It is being extended from time to time “to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order”.

A mob had attacked the minister's residence and tried to burn it down on the night of June 15. Security guards and firefighters managed to control arson attempts and save the house.

A section of the students of Manipur University organised a rally in Imphal town demanding restoration of peace in the northeastern state.

The rally organised by the Manipur University Students’ Union started from the gate of the varsity at Canchipur here.

Police said they had permission to go to Kakwa, around two kilometres away. The students, however, wanted to continue the rally beyond Kakway and till Singjamei, some four km away from the varsity gate.

The police fired tear gas shells to disperse the rallyists when they tried to cross Kakwa and head towards Singjamei, leading to a heated exchange of words between the officers and the students.

The students protested the police action saying they were unarmed and pursuing a peace rally.

More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.