Prohibitory orders in Manipur's Lilong after mob torches BJP leader’s house over Waqf Bill support

Manipur's Thoubal district administration, on April 7, imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS in the entire Lilong assembly constituency. 

The order came a day after an irate mob set the house of BJP Minority Morcha's Manipur president, Md Asker Ali, on fire allegedly for supporting the Waqf Amendment Act.

The order, promulgated by the district magistrate, prohibited the assembly of five or more people and the carrying of firearms, swords, sticks, stones or other lethal weapons by the public.

It stated that the superintendent of police reported on Sunday night that nearly a 7,000-8,000-strong mob, armed with lathis and stones, stormed the residence of Md Asker Ali in Lilong Sambrukhong Mamei area and set it ablaze.

Ali had on Saturday expressed support on social media platforms for the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. Following the incident on Sunday night, he apologised for his earlier statement and condemned the Act.

Ali, a Meitei-Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) leader representing the Lilong constituency in Thoubal district, had endorsed the Waqf Amendment Bill through a social media post earlier in the day. However, facing backlash from his community, he later posted a video on Facebook apologizing for his stance and retracting his support.

Retracting from his previous statement, Asker Ali spoke in Manipuri in a fresh Facebook post, saying, "My name is Asker Ali from Lilong Haoreibi Sambrukhong. I had posted videos and shared my comments on social media on Waqf Amendment Bill which was recently passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. I feel so sorry for what I have said. Next time I will not do it. I am clarifying that I don’t support Waqf Amendment Bill and it should be repealed".

In the video, Ali stated that he no longer supports the Bill and called for its immediate repeal. His retraction appeared to be a direct response to the intense pressure from within the community.

Authorities have not yet identified the individuals responsible for the arson, and no official statement has been released by the Manipur BJP regarding the incident.