IMPHAL: Police in Manipur reported a new case of arson in Jiribam district where a group of suspected 'Tribal village volunteers' allegedly set a house on fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The house, located in the Jakuradhor area of the district, belonged to a retired police officer. The property had three rooms and the family had already vacated it due to the earlier incidents of violence in the district. "The family was living elsewhere for quite some time for safety reasons since earlier unrest in the region," police officials said.
It happened around 3:30 am. The perpetrators of the crime, who are believed to be armed, took advantage of early morning darkness to commit arson. The house was burnt to cinders.
The place is situated approximately 28 kilometres from the Jiribam district headquarters, bordering the Pherzawl district, which has a sizeable population of Hmars. Police said this to PTI and mentioned that tension and incidents of violence continue in the area.
Despite a peace accord between representatives of the Meitei and Hmar communities to ensure restoration of normalcy and to avoid further violence, a fresh case of arson was reported early Wednesday morning in Manipur's Jiribam district. The accord in this regard was reached during a meeting on August 1 at a CRPF facility in Assam's Cachar district, where commitments had been made on the restoration of normalcy by both the communities and avoiding any further acts of arson.
It was convened by the Jiribam district administration in coordination with Assam Rifles and CRPF personnel to put an end to the violence. Attended by people from different communities, such as the Hmar, Meitei, Thadou, Paite, and Mizo, in their respective strongholds, the meeting indicated the collective need for peace and stability in the area.
However, despite such efforts, a three-room house at Jakuradhor area in Jiribam district was torched by suspected 'tribal village volunteers' during an attack on Wednesday in the early morning.
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