FIVE people have died in rioting in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, police said yesterday.

Rioters torched the homes of seven Legislative Assembly members (MLAs) on Monday night in anger at new legislation defining who can claim citizenship of the state.

One person died when they were trapped in a burning house and two were killed when police fired shots to disperse the arsonists.

Yesterday, hundreds of people angry about the deaths circled the town’s police station and protested.

The police opened fire again, killing two and leaving three hospitalised in a critical condition.

Police imposed a curfew last night and deployed paramilitary forces in the town of Churachandpur, 42 miles south-west of the state capital of Imphal.

MLA N Biren Singh said the law demanding people provide proof that their families lived in Manipur before 1951 is aimed at keeping “outsiders,” including migrants, from settling in the state bordering Myanmar.