The Congress is set to raise with the Central government the assault on its MLA and Manipur party chief at a recent meeting called of Meitei legislators by radical outfit Arambai Tenggol in Imphal.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to write to Union Home Minister Amit Shah drawing his attention to the incident and flagging the “sad state” of law and order situation in the state.

An MLA who was part of the January 24 meeting called by Arambai Tenggol confirmed that three MLAs – two of the BJP and Congress state president K Meghachandra – were assaulted by members of the group during the course of the meeting.

On Thursday, Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh tweeted about the assault, saying: “The Indian National Congress strongly condemns the brutal physical assault on Manipur PCC President K. Meghachandra , in a meeting of all-party MLAs/MPs/Ministers, under full security protection of state and central forces, at Kangla in Imphal yesterday. The PM, however, continues with his eloquent silence on the enormous tragedy that has overtaken Manipur,” he had written on X.

As per the MLA present at the meeting, the BJP legislators who were assaulted were Paonam Brojen Singh and Khwairakpam Raghumani Singh.

Meghachandra reportedly was beaten up for holding the BJP-run state government responsible for the situation in the state.

The “meeting” in which the assault had taken place was the result of a “summons” issued to all Meitei MLAs and MPs by the Arambai Tenggol. All the MLAs and MPs of the community – including Union Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and former Congress chief minister Okrom Ibobi Singh – attended it, amidst heavy fortification of Imphal’s historic Kangla Fort, with massive security development both inside and at all the gates of the complex.

Incidentally, a special team of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs was present in Manipur for talks at the time.

While CM N Biren Singh was not present at the meeting, his signature was on the document of demands released at the meeting.

During his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra through Manipur recently, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly attacked the Narendra Modi government’s handling of the crisis in the state, particularly the Prime Minister’s failure to visit Manipur since May, when violence began in the state.

A radical outfit that has come into prominence in the nine months of the Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur, the Arambai Tenggol is accused of several incidents of violence.