Curfew in Manipur after Arson at BJP Leader’s House

Curfew was imposed for an indefinite period in entire Lilong Assembly constituency in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Monday, a day after a mob set the house of BJP minority morcha’s state President, Md Asker Ali, on fire reportedly for supporting the Waqf Amendment Act, officials said.

Thoubal District Magistrate (DM) A Subhash Singh on Monday said that Thoubal district Superintendent of Police (SP) has reported that on Sunday, late evening, an approximately 7,000 to 8,000-strong mob armed with lathis and stones stormed into the house of Md Asker Ali of Lilong Sambrukhong Mamel and set it ablaze.

A district administration official said it was also reported that the situation was very sensitive in and around Lilong Assembly constituency and that there is the likelihood of further disturbance, which could pose a risk to peace and public tranquility in the constituency. The official further said the SP has requested the District Magistrate to issue prohibitory orders.

Accordingly, the DM promulgated the curfew under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the entire Lilong Assembly constituency for an indefinite period, the official said.

BJP leader Ali on Saturday, through his posts on social media, supported the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025.

Various parts of Manipur’s Valley areas also witnessed protests against the Act on Sunday.

According to police, several thousand men and women organized a rally and disrupted the traffic on Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) at Lilong. The agitators clashed with security forces in some areas, including Irong Chesaba in the Thoubal district.

Protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, were also held in other Muslim dominated areas of Imphal East and Thoubal districts, among other places.

The Manipur government deployed additional forces in all Muslim-dominated areas, with senior officials closely monitoring the situation.

After the arson at his residence, Ali apologized for his remarks on the Waqf Act. 

President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on Saturday (April 5), as announced by the Ministry of Law in a notification on Saturday.

The Bill was recently passed by the Parliament after intense and lengthy debates in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The law seeks to improve governance by enhancing transparency in property management, streamlining coordination between Waqf boards and local authorities, and protecting stakeholders’ rights.

—IANS