- विज्ञापन -
Imphal: An indefinite curfew has been enforced across the entire Lilong Assembly constituency in Manipur’s Thoubal district following an incident where a mob set fire to the house of BJP minority morcha’s state President, Md Asker Ali. This action reportedly stemmed from his support for the Waqf Amendment Act.
On Monday, Thoubal District Magistrate A. Subhash Singh confirmed that the district Superintendent of Police reported that late Sunday evening, a mob of approximately 7,000 to 8,000 individuals armed with sticks and stones stormed Ali’s residence in Lilong Sambrukhong Mamel and set it ablaze.
Officials expressed concerns about the sensitive state of affairs in and around the Lilong Assembly Constituency, indicating that the potential for further disturbances could threaten peace and public order. As a result, the Superintendent of Police requested the District Magistrate to impose prohibitory orders.
Consequently, the District Magistrate enacted the curfew under section 63 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) throughout the Lilong Assembly constituency for an indefinite duration.
Md Asker Ali had expressed his support for the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, through social media posts over the weekend, prompting protests across various parts of Manipur’s Valley regions on Sunday.
According to police, several thousand people participated in a rally, obstructing traffic on the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) in Lilong. Some clashes occurred with security forces in areas like Irong Chesaba in Thoubal district.
Protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, also took place in other Muslim-dominated regions, including Imphal East and Thoubal districts.
In response to the unrest, the Manipur government has deployed additional security forces across predominantly Muslim areas and is closely monitoring the situation.
President Droupadi Murmu gave her approval to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on April 5, as confirmed by a notification from the Law Ministry. The Bill was passed by Parliament following extensive debates in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and aims to improve governance, enhance property management transparency, streamline coordination between Waqf boards and local authorities, and protect stakeholders’ rights.
