Angry mobs set fire to the under-construction house of a man accused in a sensational murder case involving a young woman and an elderly man, triggering unrest in Mizoram’s capital earlier this week. The 62-year-old accused, who reportedly died by suicide last month, has been named as the prime suspect in the murder of a 26-year-old woman whose body was recovered on the western outskirts of Aizawl on December 1 last year.
The arson took place Tuesday night at Tanhril locality, where the accused was building a house. The incident occurred hours after police announced they had cracked the mysterious murder case following an intensive investigation. News of the breakthrough led to public outrage, with residents assembling outside the rented apartment where the accused’s family lived and demanding that they leave the locality. According to Aizawl SP Zosangliana, protesters also set ablaze a multi-storey structure belonging to the accused that was still under construction before police could reach the scene. He said law enforcement personnel acted swiftly to bring the situation under control and prevent further escalation. The family members of the accused were immediately evacuated to a safe location.
Police said the mob dispersed around 1 am on Wednesday following repeated appeals from authorities. Leaders of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) Tanhril branch said an emergency meeting of local council members and NGOs on Tuesday night decided that the accused’s wife and children should leave the locality immediately and not return in the future. Earlier, state police had confirmed that the murder case had been solved after the highly decomposed body of the woman was recovered near Mizoram University (MZU) campus in Tanhril last month. Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation to prevent further unrest.
