The unrest in Manipur continued unabated, with fresh clashes between protesters and security forces intensifying the turmoil. The Imphal valley remained a hotbed of public outrage as citizens organized demonstrations and called for swift action following the tragic deaths of two students, reportedly belonging to the Meitei community.
Since Tuesday, violent protests by students over the students' deaths have rattled Manipur's state capital.
**Targeting the CM's Residence:**
In the Heingang area of Imphal East, protesters gathered in significant numbers and set out to march towards Chief Minister Biren Singh's residence earlier today. Security personnel intervened, leading to confrontations between the two groups.
An angry mob even made an attempt to assault the ancestral house of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, but security forces thwarted the effort, according to police reports.
"Around 100 meters from the house, security forces stopped the mob's attempt to attack the chief minister's ancestral house at Heingang locality in Imphal," a police officer confirmed.
**BJP Office Torched Amidst Protests:**
This latest episode follows widespread public outrage in Imphal, beginning on Tuesday, when pictures of two Manipuri students, who had been reported missing since July 6, emerged on social media. In fact, on Wednesday, an enraged mob set fire to the Bharatiya Janata Party's Mandal office in Manipur. On the same day, various student bodies in Manipur organized protests against the excessive use of force in the violence-stricken state.
Six Manipur student bodies conducted a mass protest against the abduction, killings, and the disproportionate response of the security forces to protesting students. Demonstrators blocked the Indo-Myanmar roadway and set tires ablaze on the highway. Security forces resorted to using tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the crowds, who retaliated by using slingshots and pelting stones at the forces.
At the protest site, students chanted slogans such as "We condemn the brutal killing of two students," "We demand justice," "Long live Manipur," "Go back, central forces," "condemn the excessive use of force," and "Implement NRC."
A mob also vandalized the deputy commissioner's office in Imphal West district.
**Violence-Stricken Manipur:**
After the bodies of two Meitei teenagers went viral on social media platforms, massive public outrage erupted in Imphal on Tuesday. In response, the Manipur government ordered a temporary shutdown of internet services in the state just two days after their resumption.
Tensions have gripped Manipur since May of this year. Over 160 individuals have lost their lives, and several hundred have been injured since violence erupted on May 3 during a "Tribal Solidarity March" organized in the hill districts of Manipur. The march aimed to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meitei's make up roughly 53 percent of the state's population and primarily reside in the Imphal Valley. Meanwhile, tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 percent and are predominantly concentrated in the hill districts.
