A group of people reportedly set on fire the houses of Manipur Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing and four other lawmakers in Churchandpur district to protest the passage of bills on Monday to bring in the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system .
CrPC section 144 (Unlawful Assembly) has been imposed in the district. However, the mob has been blocking the police and fire forces from reaching the area, as per reports.
According to reports, the reason behind the attack was the lawmakers' support to pass the bills related to the ILP system.
The state government had passed three bills--The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015; The Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015; and The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015--to introduce ILP system in a special session of Manipur Assembly.
The bills were introduced following an agreement with the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS), which had demanded the ILP or a similar law in the state to protect the indigenous population and control influx of people from other states.
Churachandpur: Residences of Manipur Health Min, MLA of Thanlon & MLA of Singhat set ablaze. pic.twitter.com/2tojSzPzW1
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2015
(31/08/15) Residences of 5 Manipur lawmakers set on fire in Churachandpur pic.twitter.com/nfQHXWYUmR
— ANI (@ANI_news) September 1, 2015
Residences of 5 Manipur State Ministers set on fire in Churachandpur over ILPS issue. (First visuals) pic.twitter.com/jEU4uDAlUW
— ANI (@ANI_news) September 1, 2015
Residences of 5 Manipur State Ministers set on fire in Churachandpur over ILPS issue. (First visuals) pic.twitter.com/v8zdDI16ww — ANI (@ANI_news) September 1, 2015