IMPHAL: A mob stormed and set Union Minister of State for external affairs RK Ranjan Singh's residence on fire at Kongba in Imphal on Thursday night, two days after the sharpest escalation of violence in the state saw nine people gunned down and another 10 injured.
There were nine security escort personnel, five security guards and eight additional guards on duty at the minister's residence at the time of the incident.
"We couldn't prevent the incident as the mob was overwhelming and we couldn't control the situation. They threw petrol bombs from all directions from the bye lane behind the building and from the front entrance, so we simply couldn't control the mob," L Dineshwor Singh, Escort Commander, said.
This is the second time that the minister's house has been attacked by a mob. During the attack in May, the security personnel fired in the air to disperse the mob.
The recent ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has resulted in over 100 fatalities and 310 injuries. In response, the army and paramilitary forces have been deployed to restore peace in the state. The clashes initially began on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
RK Ranjan Singh, who is Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, recently held a meeting with a group of intellectuals from Manipur's Meitei and Kuki communities to discuss how to bring peace in the violence-hit northeast state.