Indian officials reported today, Friday, that a crowd set fire to the residence of a federal minister in the remote northeastern state of Manipur, which has been experiencing clashes between two warring ethnic groups for over a month. The office of Minister of State for External Affairs R.K. Ranjan Singh confirmed that a mob destroyed and set fire to the minister's house in Imphal, the capital of Manipur. One of Singh's aides in New Delhi stated, "Fortunately, no staff member or family members were harmed in the attack on the house." Singh is a federal minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which rules Manipur.
The attack comes after weeks of violent clashes between members of the Kuki ethnic group, who predominantly live in the hills, and the Meitei ethnic group, which mostly inhabits the plains of the state. Tensions escalated between the groups on May 3 due to resentment over the economic benefits and quota system afforded to the Kuki group, which facilitates their access to government jobs and educational opportunities. The Meitei group constitutes half of the state's population, and any increase in their proportion under the quota system would mean they would seize a larger share of educational and government job opportunities designated for the Kuki group.
Recent records from the federal Ministry of Home Affairs indicate that 83 people have died and over 60,000 residents have been displaced since May due to the violence. Civil society organizations from both the Meitei and Kuki groups reported that hundreds from both communities have been injured and displaced.
