The bungalow of Union Minister R K Ranjan at Kongba in Imphal was set on fire by a mob on Thursday night amid an uptick in violence in Manipur. The Union Minister wasn’t home when the incident happened.

“I’m in Kerala right now on business. At least no one was hurt last night at my Imphal house. My home’s first and second floors have been damaged by miscreants who arrived with petrol bombs, according to Union Minister of State for External Affairs Ranjan.

Since May 3, there have been deadly battles between the Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur over their demand to be classified as Scheduled Tribes (ST), resulting in more than 100 fatalities.

The Manipuri people were urged by the Union Minister to keep the peace. “What is occurring in my own state makes me very sad. I’ll keep making the same plea for peace. The people who engage in this brutality are utterly inhuman, he told ANI.

Since May 3, there have been deadly battles between the Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur over their demand to be classified as Scheduled Tribes (ST), resulting in more than 100 fatalities.

The Manipuri people were urged by the Union Minister to keep the peace. “What is occurring in my own state makes me very sad. I’ll keep making the same plea for peace. The people who engage in this brutality are utterly inhuman, he told ANI.

Following a recent spike in violence in the conflict-torn state, the army and the Assam Rifles stepped up their “area domination” operations, which is when the occurrences occurred. Columns of the Army and Assam Rifles increased patrolling and dismantled obstacles wherever they had been erected.