A larger number of protesters tried to storm into the residence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today (28 September) evening. As per reports, a mob of over 500 youths, protesting against police action on earlier protests against the kidnapping and murder of Meitei youths Phijam Hemanjit and Luwangthoi Linthoingambi Hijam, tried to forcefully enter the private residence of the CM in Heingang, Imphal East.
Security forces deployed at the CM’s residence along with the RAF dispersed the mob and prevented them from storming into the house. Reportedly the youths also attacked the police using slingshots during the confrontation.
🟦🟥 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 | 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗣𝗨𝗥
— Lianboi Tungnung (@LianboiTun407) September 28, 2023
Manipur CM N Biren Singh’s personal residence in Heingang, Imphal East, targeted.
Police fired tear gas shells, smoke bombs to disperse mob. #manipurunrest #nbirensingh #heingang #northeastlive pic.twitter.com/1zvMNc5Cj6
Police fired tear gas shells and smoke bombs, and fired in the air, to control the mob. Some of the protestors were injured in confrontation with police, who have been shifted to hospitals in ambulances. A Northeast live reporter said that over 10 youths have been injured, and the number can go up as the situation is still developing. Additional security forces now have been deployed at the CM’s residence.
The students had been camping near the CM’s residence since the afternoon, and the situation turned volatile in the evening when they tried to enter the residence. Police sources have said that the situation is now under control, and the mob was successfully dispersed.
“There was an attempt to attack the chief minister’s ancestral house at Heingang locality in Imphal. Security forces stopped the mob around 100 metres away from the house,” a police officer said.
According to reports, the protesters also attacked the residence of MLA Soraisam Kebi Devi in Imphal West district.
The protests came after over 200 people, mostly students, were injured in clashes with the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Manipur police during the past 48 hours. Defying curfew, the students have been protesting against the kidnapping and presumed murder of two Meitei youths, 20-year-old Phijam Hemanjit and 17-year-old Luwangthoi Linthoingambi Hijam. They had been missing since July, and photos surfaced on 26 September indicating that they had been killed by Kuki militants.
The students are also protesting against the internet ban which has been reimposed in Manipur, compensation for the victims injured in the protests, and the removal of the RAF from the state.
Security police allegedly used strong measures to contain the protests and around 200 students were injured as a result.
Addressing the media on Wednesday evening, Chief Minister N Biren Singh stated that the government had expected the large turnout of protestors after the photographs of the two students had gone viral. He also said that security forces were instructed to practice maximum restraint while controlling the mob while adding that action will be initiated if security personnel are found using excessive force against the public, especially students.
The situation in Manipur remains tense, and security forces have been deployed in large numbers across the state.
News of CM's personal residence being mobbed is false and misleading. Adequate security is already in place. pic.twitter.com/wOLp1p3ah3
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) September 28, 2023
Later in the night, the Manipur police dismissed some reports and rumors that had claimed that the CM’s personal property was mobbed. They added that adequate security was already provided to the place.
