Manipur chaos: 23 arrested following violent protests

Guwahati: Manipur Police arrested 23 people on Sunday for looting and setting fire to the homes of legislators and ministers, while hundreds took to the streets to protest the recent violent killings, defying a curfew. The unrest, which marked the second consecutive day of violence in the region, has led to heightened tensions in Imphal, the state capital.

“The situation is relatively calm today, but it remains unpredictable,” a senior police official in the state told Reuters, adding that the situation was under close observation. The arrests followed Saturday's violence, which saw the “ransacking and arson” of several legislators' and ministers' residences, according to a police statement. "Police had to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd. Eight people were injured in the process," the statement noted, adding that additional security forces had been deployed.

An indefinite curfew was imposed on Saturday, and both internet and mobile services were suspended after protesters attempted to storm the residences of several lawmakers, including Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Protesters are calling for accountability for the deadly violence, which, in the latest incident, has resulted in the deaths of at least two women and two children. Since May 2023, communal clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities have led to over 250 deaths and displaced 60,000 people.

On Sunday morning, the body of a woman, believed to be a member of a missing Meitei family, was discovered in a river. Three other bodies, including two children, were recovered on Friday.

Identification is still underway, but local officials in Jiribam suspect these bodies may be linked to the missing family, a district administration official told Reuters.

On Sunday, the body of a Kuki man was also found in the area, though authorities have yet to confirm the cause of death. They indicated it “could be related to the violence.”

Tensions escalated last week after a 31-year-old woman from the Kuki community was burned alive. Kuki groups have blamed Meitei militants for the attack.

Manipur has become increasingly divided into two ethnic territories: the Meitei-controlled valley and the Kuki-dominated hills, with a stretch of no-man’s land separating them, monitored by federal forces.