IMPHAL, Nov 21: A mob attack on the residence of JD(U) MLA Kh Joykishan Singh in Manipur’s Thangmeiband area on November 16 resulted in the theft of ₹18 lakh in cash and jewellery worth ₹1.5 crore, police said on Thursday. The legislator’s mother lodged a complaint at Imphal Police Station regarding the incident, leading to the registration of an FIR.
According to a senior police officer, the mob vandalized the residence for nearly two hours that evening. Several items stored for internally displaced people (IDPs) were also destroyed in the attack. MLA Joykishan Singh was in Delhi at the time, attending to a family member’s medical treatment.
A volunteer managing a nearby relief camp, Sanayai, recounted that vegetables such as potatoes and onions, winter clothes, and other essential items meant for IDPs were looted. “We urged the mob not to vandalize the residence as the materials were for displaced people like us,” Sanayai said.
Lockers, electronics, and furniture were destroyed, and the mob attempted to steal three air conditioners but failed. Seven gas cylinders were taken, while important documents of displaced individuals were also burned. A volunteer at the scene was reportedly injured during the attack.
The attack on Joykishan’s residence is one of several incidents targeting legislators in Manipur, following a surge in ethnic violence. The unrest intensified after three women and three children from the Meitei community went missing from a relief camp in Jiribam district after a gunfight on November 11 between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants. Ten insurgents were killed in the encounter, and the bodies of the missing six individuals were discovered days later.
(PTI)
