RK Ranjan was not at home…
The Union Minister’s house was set on fire by a mob of over 1,000 people in Manipur, in the latest incident of violence in the northeast state which has been witnessing clashes between two groups over the demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was not at the house in Imphal at the time of the incident, officials said.
The mob managed to reach the minister's house at Kongba despite a curfew in Imphal.
There were nine security escort personnel, five security guards, and eight additional guards on duty at the minister's residence at the time, officials said.
Security personnel at the minister's house said that the mob threw petrol bombs from all directions during the attack.
"We couldn't prevent the incident as the mob was overwhelming and we couldn't control the situation.
They threw petrol bombs... from the bye lane behind the building and from the front entrance.
So, we simply could not control the mob," L Dineshwor Singh, Escort Commander, said.
The Escort Commander said that around 1,200 people were part of the mob.
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