IT News
Imphal, Nov 21:
The mother of Janata Dal (U) MLA Khumukcham Joykishan Singh has filed a police complaint alleging that a mob looted cash worth Rs. 18 lakh and jewellery valued at Rs. 1.5 crore during an attack on the legislator’s residence on November 16. The incident occurred in the Thangmeiband area of West Imphal, police confirmed on Thursday.
A senior officer stated that the mob vandalized the residence for approximately two hours. Several items stored for internally displaced people (IDPs) were also destroyed. An FIR has been registered at the Imphal Police Station based on the complaint.
Kh Joykishan Singh was reportedly in Delhi for the medical treatment of a family member at the time of the attack.
According to Sanayai, a volunteer managing a nearby relief camp, items such as vegetables, winter clothes, and other supplies intended for displaced people were taken during the looting. “We urged the mob not to vandalize the MLA’s residence, but they did not listen,” she said. The mob also vandalized lockers, electronics, and furniture, and attempted to remove three air conditioners, though they failed. Seven gas cylinders were reportedly taken.
Sanayai added that documents belonging to IDPs were destroyed, and one volunteer was injured after being beaten during the chaos.
The attack comes amid escalating violence in Manipur. Tensions rose sharply after three women and three children from the Meitei community went missing from a relief camp in Jiribam district following a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants on November 11, which left 10 insurgents dead. Their bodies were discovered days later, sparking widespread anger and protests.
The ethnic conflict between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo communities has claimed over 220 lives and displaced thousands since May 2020.
