Manipur crisis update: Church burnt down, more vehicles set afire as state fails to control violence

The Imphal valley-based Meitei protesters burnt down a church in Pangei on Monday. The house of the pastor was vandalised, forcing the family to take refuge at a Manipur Riffles headquarters. It happened a day after the counter-economic blockade protesters attacked the Manipur Baptist Church (MBC) and Tangkhul Baptist Church in Imphal with stones and threatened to burn them down.

In what appears to be an act of retaliation for burning and damaging dozens of Ukhrul-bound vehicles on Sunday, unknown miscreants set afire an Imphal-bound bus and a Tata sumo at Taphou, near Mt. Everest College in Senapati District on Monday.

[READ: Manipur crisis: A complete account from economic blockade to attacks on civilians]

There were several unaccounted cases of innocent civilians, especially students and employees staying in Indian cities, being waylaid by the Meitei protesters on their way to villages in the hill districts for Christmas celebration and burning their belongings.

There is complete breakdown of law and order in Manipur, particularly in its capital city Imphal, with the Ibobi Singh-led Congress government failing to use its armed forces to control arson and vandalism carried out by the Meitei protesters in retaliation to the indefinite economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC) in protest against the creation of new districts in the state without consulting them.

Violence erupted in the state on Saturday with Meitei protesters, who were holding a rally against the killing of three policemen patrolling in the newly announced Tengnoupal district by unknown miscreants (state government has accused NSCN-IM of the attack), attacked MBC at Chingmeirong, Imphal. The protest turned more violent on Sunday as they target the Nagas who were leaving Imphal for their respective villages for Christmas. More than 40 private vehicles on which they were travelling were reportedly damaged and burnt down along with the baggage of the commuters. This left hundreds of people stranded.

However, it appears like the issue will not be resolved anytime soon with the UNC refusing to lift the 50-day old economic blockade and the Meitei protesters continuing their act of arson and threat despite the state government imposing curfew in the capital.

The Naga Students Federation (NSF) has said in a statement that it has resolved to restrict all Manipur-bound vehicles in all Naga inhabited areas till the state government assures the safety of Nagas in the state.