Union minister R K Ranjan's house set on fire in Manipur by mob

The minister and his family were not at the house at the time of the incident; officials said around 1,200 people were part of the mob

The house of Union Minister R K Ranjan was set on fire by a mob of over 1,000 people in Imphal on Thursday night.

Ranjan, union minister of state for external affairs, and his family were not at their home when the incident occurred.

The mob had managed to reach the minister's house at Kongba despite a curfew in Imphal and threw petrol bombs from all directions at the minister's house.

Officials said that there were nine security escorts personnel, five security guards, and eight additional guards on duty at the minister's residence at the time of the incident.

L Dineshwor Singh, Escort Commander, said, "We couldn't prevent the incident as the mob was overwhelming and we couldn't control the situation. They threw petrol bombs coming in from all directions... from the bye lane behind the building and from the front entrance... so we simply couldn't control the mob."

The Escort Commander said that around 1,200 people were part of the mob. This is the second time that the minister's house has been attacked by a mob.

Ranjan told ANI, "It is very sad to see what is happening in my home state. I will still continue to appeal for peace. Those indulging in this kind of violence are absolutely inhuman."

Clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

Last month, the union minister held a meeting with a group of intellectuals from Manipur's Meitei and Kuki communities to discuss how to bring peace to the violence-hit state. The minister also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "identify and condemn" local politicians who could be responsible for the trouble in Manipur.

Over 100 people have died since May 3 in clashes in ethnic violence-hit Manipur.