Imphal: Three persons have been arrested in connection with the arson at Kanto Sabal in Imphal West two days ago, Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Monday.Responding to media queries on the sidelines of the handover of two ambulances donated by the Manipur Drivers’ Association at the Civil Secretariat Mantripukhri in Imphal, Konthoujam condemned the arson in which abandoned houses were set on fire near the army divisional headquarters at Leimakhong.“A large security deployment was already in place, but somewhere things went wrong,” he said, adding that security agencies have been instructed to remain on high alert and coordinate closely to prevent such incidents.Konthoujam said around 20 people were detained on the day of the incident, and three were arrested while the rest were released after verification. He said efforts were underway to identify and arrest more people involved.He said additional security forces, including CRPF personnel and state forces, had already been deployed in the area. He also said chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh chaired a high-level security meeting on Sunday evening to review the situation and that more security personnel would be deployed in the affected area.On the investigation into the killing of six Naga civilians, Konthoujam said two accused had been arrested and operations were continuing to apprehend the remaining suspects.“Our operation to nab all the culprits is continuing. We hope more arrests will be made within the next two days,” he said.Separately, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) alleged that personnel of the CRPF’s COBRA unit conducted a midnight search at the residence of its joint secretary Douminlal Haokip, who is also secretary (organisation) of the Kuki Inpi Manipur, at Bongphajol in Kangpokpi district in the early hours of Sunday.The KZC claimed the search was conducted without a warrant while Haokip was away attending meetings in Churachandpur, and alleged that the operation caused fear among his family members. The organisation condemned the “midnight raid”, demanded an explanation from the authorities and called for an impartial inquiry.“Pu Douminlal Haokip is a respected civil society leader. If the authorities had legitimate grounds to conduct a search, they should have followed due legal process, obtained the necessary authorisation, and carried out the operation in a lawful and dignified manner. Resorting to a late-night raid without following proper procedure demonstrates a disregard for the rule of law and the dignity of a respected public figure,” the KZC statement added.
