NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah canceled his planned election rallies in poll-bound Maharashtra on Sunday and returned to Delhi due to the worsening situation in Manipur, sources revealed.
Shah is expected to convene a high-level meeting in the national capital to review the situation in the northeastern state.
According to sources, angry mobs set fire to the homes of three BJP legislators, including a senior minister, and a Congress MLA in Imphal Valley late Saturday night. Security forces thwarted an attempt by protesters to storm the ancestral residence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Shah had been scheduled to attend several rallies as part of the BJP’s campaign in Maharashtra, but sources indicated that the volatile situation in Manipur prompted him to return to Delhi. A central team is also likely to visit Manipur soon to assess the situation and assist the state government in managing the crisis.
The fresh wave of violence erupted after the killing of three women and three children by militants in Jiribam district. The discovery of their bodies led to widespread anger, with mobs attacking the homes of state ministers and legislators.
On Saturday night, protesters torched the residences of Public Works Department Minister Govindas Konthoujam in Ningthoukhong, BJP MLA Y Radheshyam of Hiyanglam in Langmeidong Bazar, BJP MLA Paonam Brojen of Wangjing Tentha in Thoubal district, and Congress MLA Thokchom Lokeshwar of Khundrakpam in Imphal East district, officials reported.
In response, authorities imposed an indefinite curfew and suspended internet services across five districts in the Imphal Valley to curb further violence. By Sunday morning, a tense calm prevailed in the region, although security forces remained on high alert.
The central government is monitoring the situation closely, with Shah expected to deliberate on measures to restore order and prevent further escalation.