Around the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi was flying from Washington to Cairo, a mob in Manipur was displaying how deep the schism has grown in the absence of political statesmanship to defuse the crisis.
The mob set on fire pipes worth about Rs 120 crore meant for a government sewage project in Imphal East district on Friday night.
The reason: A “misunderstanding”.
Manipur public health engineering department minister L. Susindro Meitei had saved two women from attackers. But a group of Meiteis assumed that the women were Meiteis and took out its anger on the pipes and the minister’s properties in his Khurai Assembly constituency in Imphal East district.
Besides the pipes, a private godown, two vehicles and a BJP office located on a plot owned by the minister were torched. Attempts were also made to torch Susindro’s home, but it was foiled by security forces, the minister said.
Manipur has a BJP-led government and Susindro is attached to the party.
Susindro told The Telegraph on Saturday: “This (arson) happened because I had saved two women earlier on Friday from the mob, which suspected the duo were informers of the Kuki community. We came to know they were victims of a misunderstanding and saved them. People got angry at me because they thought I was trying to save the Kuki community.”
Sources said the Kukis and Meiteis had “lost faith and trust in each other” since the unrest in Manipur began on May 3 following a solidarity rally in the hills against the majority Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The strife has claimed over 110 lives and displaced more than 60,000. Clashes between the two communities are continuing despite the heavy deployment of security forces.
The mob had demanded that Susindro hand over the rescued women to them when the leader was taking them to a hospital. When he refused, the mob tried to attack the minister, prompting his personal security officer to “fire seven rounds” in the air to disperse them.
“There were over 100 people in the mob. A chain of events ensued following the confrontation. They burnt down plastic pipes, meant for the PHE sewage project, worth around Rs 120 crore. They were all stocked in my constituency,” Susindro said.
“The mob burnt down my godown, two vehicles and a district BJP office built on a plot owned by me, about 3km from my residence. I appeal to all to maintain peace and calm,” Susindro said.
The minister said there was firing near his residence from 10 pm to 4 am between security forces and a group with “snatched” arms.
Protesters, particularly in greater Imphal, have targeted the residences and properties of elected members. Susindro’s was the tenth such attack on the property of an elected representative.
Susindro had last month installed a drop box at his residence in Khurai inviting people to return the weapons looted or snatched from police during the current unrest.
Susindro said no weapon had been put in the drop box in the past three-four days.
Over 4,200 arms and a huge quantity of ammunition have been looted in two phases since the violence started on May 3.