Imphal: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Saturday said that two separate magisterial inquiries will be constituted, first to probe the Churachandpur violence and another into the arm-looting incident at Chingarel and Pangei, both in the Imphal East district.

Addressing a press conference in Imphal on Saturday evening, Singh said that it is the primary duty and responsibility of the government to maintain law and order and protect public property and lives.

The chief minister, without disclosing any name, also said that a first information report would be filed against a Churachandpur leader for allegedly inciting violence in the district.

The chief minister said a respected leader had tweeted just before the incident at Churachandpur. He said that the Churachandpur violence was an act of inciting and misguiding youth.

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On Thursday night, two persons were allegedly killed while around 25 others sustained injury following a violent protest and subsequent action by security forces in Manipur’s Churachandpur district headquarters.

The violence broke out as the mob barged into the government complex, vandalised the offices of SP, district deputy commissioner and mini secretariat and also set ablaze vehicles parked inside the mini secretariat hours after a head constable of the district police from the Kuki-zo community was suspended.

Earlier on the night of February 13, a youth was killed while three others sustained injury after an angry mob tried to storm Manipur Police Training College (MPTC), Pangei and 5th IRB Chingarel in an attempt to loot arms.

Four Insas rifles, an AK Ghatak 2, magazines of SLR and sixteen small boxes of 9mm ammunition that were looted from the IRB camp have been recovered, police had said.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an umbrella group of Churachandpur’s tribal bodies, said in a statement that the head constable was swiftly suspended while no action was taken against Meitei police officers seen in similar videos with militants. It called for a shutdown in Churachandpur and asked police superintendent Shivanand Surve to leave the hill district within 24 hours.

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“The SP should immediately revoke the suspension order and leave the district within 24 hours,” ITLF said in a statement.

Singh said that a first information report has been filed against the ITLF, adding that legal action had also been initiated against an individual who issued death threats to the Churachandpur SP on social media.

Regarding the violence and the burning of the DC’s office, the chief minister assured that appropriate steps were being taken, including repairs to the damaged bungalow.

On the report of the firing in the Sugunu area (Kakching district), the chief minister said he had instructed the senior police officials to inspect the activities in the area and take necessary steps.