The Hindu newspaper reported that a mob vandalized the home of the housing and public utilities minister in India’s Manipur state over authorities’ failure to protect residents from armed extremists.
On the evening of May 24, a mob vandalized the home of minister Kuntugam Govindas in Bishnupur over alleged failure by the state government to protect the local population from armed tribal extremists.
The newspaper notes that the crowd of about 100 people, mostly women, damaged the gates, windows, furniture, electronics and cars parked near the minister’s house.
In turn, the API news agency, citing officials, reports that on Sunday, three young men were injured and taken to hospital after a group of suspected militants opened fire on local residents of the town.
Earlier, the Manipur authorities had instructed the army units to use weapons against those inciting riots and clashes on tribal land. The army has managed to control the situation in 2 of the 10 districts of Manipur where major clashes broke out between the Koki and Mete tribes earlier this week. The reason for the clashes was the demand of the immigrants of the Mete tribe to get the so-called “scheduled caste” status in Manipur. This status gives members of the Scheduled Caste many privileges, including employment in a government agency or institution, and admission to higher educational institutions, among other benefits.
This has sparked protests from the Koki tribe, the indigenous population of the state, who consider such demands a violation of their rights.
Source: news