Miscreants set a Durga temple on fire in Senapati Bazar in Manipur in the early hours. Locals brought the fire under control before it spread to the temple premises. Locals said that after setting the temple on fire and fleeing, the miscreants also stole the donation box. Locals claimed that this was not the work of any criminal gang. They have accused a caste organization of carrying out the incident.
According to another news viral on social media, a temple of Lord Shiva was partially damaged in Senapati district of Manipur. This incident, which happened in the early morning, was captured in the CCTV camera installed in the temple premises. In the CCTV footage, miscreants can be seen throwing burning wood towards a door inside the temple campus.
Second case of attack on temple in a month
This was the second attack on the temple in Manipur. Locals said the temple was targeted a few weeks ago as well. In the first incident, footage showed a masked man hiding behind a pillar before fleeing the scene. Fortunately, residents and temple caretakers extinguished the fire before it spread.
Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) and Karong-Senapati Town Committee (KSTC) issued a joint statement condemning the attack on the Sri Sri Pashupatinath temple. The organisations described Senapati as a peaceful town where different communities practice their religions in harmony and condemned the attempt to disrupt social peace. Was the aim of the arson to incite communal, ethnic tension?
Local sources suspect that the arson was aimed at inflaming communal and ethnic tensions in the area. Police are currently investigating the incident and have promised to bring the suspects to justice, although no formal statement has been issued yet.
Rajya Sabha MP Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba condemned the incident. He also demanded strict action against the culprits. The Rajya Sabha MP said in his X post that I strongly condemn the looting and setting fire to the Shri Pashupatinath Temple in Senapati, Manipur at around 1 am on the night of 25/9/24. Every responsible citizen should condemn such a barbaric act as it is a violation of secularism.
Manipur is grappling with the aftermath of ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023, mainly between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, resulting in the death of over 220 people and displacement of about 50,000.