 "Manipur, manipur violence")
Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip’s house in Churachandpur in Manipur was set on fire on Monday night.
On Monday, the KNO and the United People’s Front (UPF) had announced that the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi will be lifted after almost two months.
This is the first prominent instance of a Kuki-Zomi leader’s residence being targeted in a Kuki-Zomi-dominated area ever since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.
Haokip’s house is located in Songpi in Churachandpur district.
Ethnic clashes in Manipur began on May 3 between Meitei and Kuki communities. More than 100 people have died and over 40,000 people have been displaced so far.
Thousands of security personnel have been deployed in the state and internet services remain shut.
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On June 15, Union Minister R K Ranjan's house was set on fire by a mob of around 1,000 people in Imphal. Ranjan and his family were not at home at the time of the incident.
The mob had managed to reach the minister's house at Kongba despite a curfew and threw petrol bombs at the house.
On July 1, three people were killed in a gunfight with unknown assailants.
On Saturday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was ready to resign from his post but he changed his mind after thousands of women blocked his convoy on his way to the Raj Bhavan.
Singh said, "I was really surprised that people gathered outside my house. I thought everyone had left me. But when I went out and saw the crowd, I thanked God and my people who love me so much. So, I changed my decision."
Visits by political leaders
Various political leaders have visited the state ever since the violence started.
On May 29, Union Home Minister Amit Shah went to Manipur on a three-day visit and appealed for peace in the state.
He met with the Chief Minister of Manipur and his Cabinet ministers. Shah then met various Meitei Civil Society organisations in Imphal and visited three Kuki-Zo-dominated districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal (Moreh town) during his tour.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps on his two-day visit to the state, which started on June 29.
Gandhi visited relief camps in Churachandpur district on June 29 and on June 30, he went to Moirang in Bishnupur district.
He tweeted: "I came to listen to all my brothers and sisters of Manipur. People of all communities are very welcoming and loving. It’s very unfortunate that the government is stopping me. Manipur needs healing. Peace has to be our only priority."
