In the remote northeastern state of Manipur, which has been plagued by clashes between members of rival ethnic groups for more than a month, a mob has set a federal Indian minister’s home on fire, according to officials.
The office of junior foreign minister R K Ranjan Singh confirmed on Friday that his home in Imphal, Manipur, had been vandalized and set on fire.
An aide to Singh in New Delhi reported that “fortunately, none of the caretakers or family members were injured in the attack on the house.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government includes Singh as a federal minister. Manipur is ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The attack comes after several weeks of violent fighting between the majority-Hindu Meiteis, who dominate the state’s lowlands, and the Kuki ethnic group, which is predominately Christian and primarily inhabits the hills.
Resentment over financial advantages and quotas for easy access to government jobs and education reserved for the Kukis led to clashes between the two communities on May 3.
Meiteis make up half of Manipur’s population, and if the limited affirmative action quotas were extended to them, they would receive a larger share of the government jobs and educational opportunities normally reserved for Kukis and other groups.
According to the most recent federal home ministry records, since May, at least 100 people have died and more than 60,000 people have been displaced due to the violence.
Hundreds of members of the Meitei and Kuki communities, according to civil society organizations, were injured and left homeless.
Source-Aljazeera
