IMPHAL: Fresh incidents of violent protests erupted in Manipur on Saturday night, following the discovery of six bodies in Jiribam district. The unrest saw demonstrators torching vehicles and properties, and attacking the residences of several ministers and MLAs in Imphal. The violence prompted authorities to impose an indefinite curfew and suspend internet services in several districts.

The protests were sparked by the abduction and killing of three women and three children by suspected militants in Jiribam. The situation remains tense, with security forces intensifying patrols and increasing deployment to restore order.

Irate mobs set fire to the residences of three more Bharatiya Janata Party legislators, one of whom is a senior minister, and a Congress MLA in various districts of Imphal Valley even as security forces foiled the attempt of agitators to storm the ancestral residence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, officials said.

Enraged people torched the houses of PWD minister Govindas Konthoujam at Ningthoukhong, Hiyanglam's BJP MLA Y Radheshyam at Langmeidong Bazar, Wangjing Tentha's BJP MLA Paonam Brojen in Thoubal district and Khundrakpam's Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar in Imphal East district, the officials said.

The legislators and their family members were not at home when the angry mob stormed their residential compounds, vandalised properties and set the houses on fire, police said, adding the houses were partially burnt in the incidents. Fire services rushed to the spots and doused the blaze before the flames engulfed the entire houses.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled his election rallies in Maharashtra to return to New Delhi and address the situation. He held a crucial meeting with top security officials, directing them to take all necessary steps to restore peace in the strife-hit northeastern state2. The violence has led to the imposition of an indefinite curfew and suspension of internet services in five districts.

The situation remains tense, with security forces, including the Assam Rifles and BSF, deployed to maintain order. The recent violence follows months of ethnic strife between the Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo groups, which has resulted in over 220 deaths and thousands of displacements since May 2023.