Tensions soar in Manipur: Amit Shah cancells Vidarbha rallies, CRPF DG rushes to Imphal; Key updates  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled his planned rallies in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region and will be back in Delhi after fresh unrest erupted in Manipur. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Anish Dayal has also departed Delhi for Manipur to assess the security situation in the state, which has been on the edge for over a year.

Tensions escalated in Manipur following the recovery of the bodies of six individuals who were reportedly abducted and killed by militants in Jiribam. On Saturday, protesters targeted the residences of state ministers and MLAs, ransacking and setting some of them on fire. The protesters attempted to storm Chief Minister N Biren Singh's house, prompting security forces to respond with tear gas to disperse the crowds across Imphal.

The violent protests have led to an indefinite curfew and suspension of internet services. The six victims had gone missing from a displaced persons camp in Jiribam on Monday after a gunfight between militants and security forces that resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents. The bodies of two women and a child were found in the Barak River on Saturday, while the remaining three, including a woman and two children, were discovered on Friday night.

By Sunday morning, debris from Saturday's protests was still scattered across the streets of Imphal. Protesters attacked the homes of three state ministers and six MLAs, including the residence of RK Imo, a BJP MLA and son-in-law of Chief Minister Singh. Security forces fired tear gas shells at multiple locations in the city to disperse the demonstrators.

An official identified the targeted ministers as Sapam Ranjan, L Susindro Singh, and Y Khemchand. Curfew was declared in the Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, and Kakching districts due to the "developing law and order situation". Internet services were also suspended in seven districts in response to the attacks on the officials' residences.

Besides Imo, protesters vandalised the homes of BJP MLA Sapam Kunjakesore and MLA Joykishan Singh. They also gathered outside the residences of JD(U) MLA T Arun from Wangkhei and BJP MLA Karam Shyam from Langthabal. When a group of protesters visited the home of Keishamthong's Independent MLA Sapam Nishikanta Singh on Tiddim Road and learned he was not present, they targeted the office building of a local newspaper owned by him, damaging temporary structures outside the building.

Protesters set fire to tires on a road in Thangmeiband, approximately 200 meters from the state assembly building. Police used tear gas at Keisampat Bridge to disperse protesters attempting to march toward key government buildings, including Raj Bhavan and the secretariat. 

Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi ordered the suspension of internet and mobile data services in Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Kangpokpi, and Churachandpur for 48 hours starting at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which represents several civil society groups in Imphal Valley, called for military action against militants within 24 hours. During the night, miscreants set fire to at least two churches and three homes in Jiribam, with unverified reports of further arson and property damage.

COCOMI spokesperson K Athouba called for the immediate repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which was recently reinstated in areas covered by six police stations. The bodies of the 10 Kuki-Zo youths killed during Monday's gunfight were airlifted to Churachandpur on Saturday from Silchar, Assam, where autopsies had been performed.