Imphal: Late on Thursday night, a mob attempted to enter the home of R K Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, in Kongba, Manipur's East Imphal district.
Before the crowd could storm into the residence, where the minister is rumoured to have been present, members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Manipur Police arrived at the scene and dispersed the crowd. There were no casualties reported.
N Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, told the public on Friday not to worry as operations against armed criminals had started in both the hills and the valley, Indian Express reported.
He claimed that there could be up to 38 vulnerable sites where troops from both the central and state armies will work together.
The majority of these vulnerable areas are found in valley districts that border districts that are predominately Kuki, notably the Torbung area of Bishnupur district, which is the focal point of the most recent spike in tensions in the state.
Earlier this month, there were ethnic conflicts in Manipur, which resulted in almost 75 deaths. A number of homes were set on fire in Bishnupur on Wednesday, and shooting incidents occurred throughout the city, killing at least one civilian.
According to Biren Singh, 34,000 members of the central military are now stationed in Manipur. He claimed that to some extent, their presence had lessened the general sense of dread.
“Our priority is to create a conducive atmosphere. We want the public to feel safe and secure. I urge the public not to be apprehensive anymore as joint forces have launched operations against armed miscreants,” the Chief Minister said.
“Our government is doing whatever we can on all fronts… I appeal to the public to restrain from taking violent means,” he added.
When asked about claims that militants covered by the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement—a deal between a number of militant groups, the Indian government, and the state government designed to open up dialogue—were involved in arson and shooting incidents, Singh said that the majority of the militant cadres were forced to remain in their designated camps with proper monitoring.
“We do not deny the involvement of splinter groups that are not under the SoO agreement,” he said, adding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had given his assurance that those elements would be dealt with separately.