"I am shocked. This seems to be an attempt on my life. The law and order situation in Manipur has totally failed," said Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh, whose house was targeted by a large mob in Manipur's Imphal on Thursday night, 15 June.
"The existing government could not maintain peace. That's why Centre has sent so much protection," Singh was further quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence for over two months now, after clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki tribes on 3 May.
Officials confirmed that Singh was not at his house in Imphal when it was reportedly burnt down by the mob. However, at the time of the incident, there were nine security personnel, five security guards, and eight additional guards present on the premises.
"The miscreants came with petrol bombs and damage has been done to the ground floor and first floor of my home,” Singh told ANI.
"I don't know why people have been attacking me. I am trying to bring peace and normalcy in the state," Singh said, adding that he will still "continue to appeal for peace. Those indulging in this kind of violence are absolutely inhuman."
Two Houses Burnt Down in 48 Hours
This is the second time that a minister's house has been targeted by a mob. On Wednesday, 14 June, the official residence of the state's only woman minister – Nemcha Kipgen – in Imphal West district's Lamphel area was set on fire.
Clashes had first broken out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on 3 May, to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Last month, RK Ranjan Singh, who is minister of state for External Affairs and Education, held a meeting with a group of intellectuals from the Meitei and Kuki communities to discuss how to bring peace in the violence-hit northeast state.
The minister also wrote to PM Narendra Modi to "identify and condemn" local politicians who could be responsible for the trouble in Manipur.
"We are not to blame any community or ethnic group... The harmonious relations among ethnic groups are often violated by leaders for getting their political ends. Myopic politicians often play with the lives and emotions of the common people... They have done enough damage to society. Their tactics trigger unimaginable losses, for instance the present ethnic inferno. Such local leaders must be identified and condemned," Singh had written in a letter to PM Modi on 21 May.
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