How killing of 2 children has pushed Manipur to the brink once again

Violence once again gripped Manipur as at least two people were killed and many were injured as protesters attacked the camp of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) late on Tuesday (April 7). Clashes had erupted between security forces and demonstrators following the killing of a four-year-old boy and his five-month-old sister, who were sleeping in their house in the Bishnupur district.

The situation remained tense on Wednesday, but no fresh violence has so far been reported. The Manipur government has suspended internet and mobile data services, including Broadband, VSATs and VPN, in five valley districts for three days.

Let’s take a closer look.

2 children killed in Manipur bomb attack

On early Tuesday morning, two children – a boy and his newborn sister – were killed in their sleep and their mother was left wounded when a rocket-like projectile hit their home in Manipur’s Bishnupur.

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The attack took place around 1 am in Tronglaobi Awang Leikai, a village that lies along the sensitive boundary between the Meitei-dominated valley and the Kuki-Zomi-dominated hills, reported Indian Express.

The children’s mother, Oinam Binita, sustained serious injuries and was admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment. She is a nurse in Guwahati who had returned to Manipur in January on maternity leave. Her husband is a soldier in the Border Security Force (BSF) currently posted in Bihar.

Speaking to Indian Express, Oinam Bala, the victims’ grandmother, recalled the bomb attack, saying the room was filled with smoke. “My daughter-in-law cried out for help. When I asked what happened, she screamed that a bomb had exploded inside the room.”

“I couldn’t understand how a bomb could get inside. When I rushed in, the room was thick with smoke. I saw my two grandchildren soaked in blood. I panicked and could only yell for help,” she added.

It is suspected that the bomb was fired by militants from the hills.

A senior police officer told ThePrint, “The bomb appears to have been launched from the hills. Who did it is a matter of investigation but it wasn’t an improvised rocket launcher that is often used in the area.”

Following the incident, an explosive device was reportedly recovered in a nearby area of Tronglaobi on Tuesday.

People block a road in protest after two children were killed and their mother was injured in a bomb attack, in Bishnupur district, Manipur, April 7, 2026. PTI

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum (ITLF) dismissed accusations against the Kuki-Zo community in connection with the Tranglaobi bomb attack.

“The claims are baseless and unsupported by any credible evidence,” the statement said. “We emphasise that any untoward incident affecting the Meitei community should not be automatically attributed to the Kuki-Zo people without proper investigation. Such assumptions only fuel misunderstanding and tensions,” it added.

The statement pointed out that there is a heavy presence of security forces at the buffer zones between Kuki-Zo and Meitei, making it nearly impossible to cross without detection or to launch any such attack.

Deadly protests rock Manipur

As the news about the Tronglaobi incident spread, protesters took to the streets in the Bishnupur district. Around 400 people attempted to storm a CRPF post located around 500 metres east of Tronglaobi to protest the alleged failure of the forces to prevent such an attack.

Locals torched two oil tankers and a truck near a petrol pump in the area. They burnt tyres outside the Moirang Police Station and vandalised a makeshift police outpost, PTI reported, citing a police officer.

“Following the incident, a mob gathered and stormed the CRPF camp in the area, accusing the force of allowing it to happen. In anger, they set vehicles ablaze, resorted to arson, broke barricades and even attempted to snatch weapons,” the police officer was quoted as saying by ThePrint.

In Imphal, protesters blocked roads, set tyres on fire, and disrupted traffic. All business establishments remained shut.

Charred remains of fuel tankers lie on a road after they were set ablaze by protesters in Bishnupur district, Manipur, April 7, 2026. PTI

As per the officer, the CRPF personnel were forced to fire in the air to disperse the mob. But clashes broke out between the security forces and protesters late on Tuesday, prompting the CRPF to open fire, reportedly killing three people and injuring 25. “Both civilians and personnel from the security forces were injured in the clashes and public property was vandalised,” the officer told ThePrint.

The Meitei Heritage Society condemned the ongoing “targeting of Meitei civilians, including women and children, by Chin Kuki terrorists”, saying this was “not an isolated occurrence but part of a disturbing and consistent pattern of violence”.

“From the use of drones to launch attacks on civilian populations, these acts underscore a systematic campaign of terror,” the statement said.

“More disturbing is the continued inability of our security forces to decisively eliminate such attacks. These repeated failures have emboldened these terrorists, giving them licence to kill with impunity while deepening fear and insecurity among Meitei civilians,” they alleged.

Manipur remains divided

The Tuesday violence was the first major escalation in the Manipur conflict since Yumnam Khemchand Singh formed the government in the northeast state in February this year.

At least 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced due to the ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kuki-Zo groups that broke out in May 2023.

Following the incident on Tuesday, the Manipur CM chaired an all-party meeting to review the situation. He denounced the bomb attack and announced that the investigation will be handed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He called the attack that killed two children a "barbaric act" and "an outright assault on humanity and a direct attempt to derail the hard-earned peace in Manipur".

"I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Let there be no doubt, those responsible will be identified, hunted down and dealt with firmly under the law. Such acts of terror will not be tolerated under any circumstances," Singh added.

The chief minister said a massive combing operation was underway to nab the perpetrators. "Security forces, including police, Assam Rifles and CRPF, have been deployed. Helicopters are also being used. The culprits will be caught at the earliest," Singh said.

He also visited a private hospital in Imphal, where the injured woman, who lost her two children, was receiving treatment.

The Manipur government has suspended internet services in five valley districts —Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur — for three days to maintain order.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also reacted to the death of two children in the Manipur bomb attack.

“The news of the murder of two tiny children sleeping in the home of a BSF jawan in Manipur is heart-wrenching. In Manipur, even three years later, innocent children are still burning in the smouldering fire of violence – no sign of peace is visible on the horizon,” Gandhi wrote on X.

He also accused the Central government of being “desensitised and stone-hearted that it seems to have forgotten that Manipur’s children are also the nation’s children, our future.”

Another horrific incident has put the spotlight on the fragile law and order situation in Manipur. As per NDTV, the body of a seven-year-old girl, who went missing from the Akhampat relief camp, was found in a nearby area under suspicious circumstances on April 6. The minor, whose family was internally displaced from Moreh, is suspected to have been sexually assaulted before being killed.

With inputs from agencies