GUWAHATI: The miscreants torched five houses at the New Checkon area in Manipur capital Imphal on Sunday afternoon.
It is predominantly a Kuki locality in the Imphal East district. The houses burnt belonged to both Kuki and Meitei communities.
Personnel of the fire brigade doused the inferno before it could spread.
The incident occurred despite the deployment of a large number of security personnel in the area.
A crowd had gathered at the site after the incident and tried to enter the area. The personnel dispersed them by firing tear gas shells.
The situation was tense when reports last came in. Security was further tightened to thwart any untoward incident.
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Meanwhile, all eyes are on the August 29 session of the Assembly. Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said there might be no discussion at all in the House on the state’s unprecedented situation.
Obituary references, presentation of committee report(s), if any; and other business, if any, figure on the “provisional calendar of sitting” issued by Assembly secretary K Meghajit Singh.
“I say it from my experience that when obituary references are taken up on a day in the Assembly, no other business is discussed,” Singh told journalists.
He said he learnt that the session had been summoned for a day to fulfil the constitutional obligation.
However, Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh did not rule out a discussion. “There could also be a discussion,” he told this newspaper.
Article 174 of the Constitution says: “The House or Houses of the Legislature of the State shall be summoned to meet twice at least in every year, and six months shall not intervene between their last sitting in one session and the date appointed for their first sitting in the next session.”
The last session of the House was adjourned sine die in March.