Violence in Manipur and Political Outreach in West Bengal Draw Attention

PTI, April 7, 2026, Imphal: The Manipur government on Tuesday imposed indefinite curfew in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Kakching districts in the wake of violence after two children were killed in a bomb explosion, officials said.

Besides, two persons were killed and five others injured in firing after a mob stormed a CRPF camp in Bishnupur district.

Two children were killed and their mother was injured in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Tuesday, triggering protests by locals, police said.

The incident occurred at around 1 am when a bomb was hurled by suspected militants at a house in Moirang Tronglaobi area, killing a five-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl, a senior officer said.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh described the attack as a "barbaric act" and assured the people that those responsible for the crime would be identified and dealt with firmly under the law.

The two children and their mother were sleeping in their bedroom when the bomb exploded in the house, the police officer said.

Locals staged a protest this morning and torched two oil tankers and a truck near a petrol pump in the area.

They burnt tyres in front of the Moirang Police Station and destroyed a makeshift police outpost.

Low-lying Moirang Tronglaobi is located close to hill areas of Churachandpur and witnessed consistent gun firing during the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in 2023 and 2024.

An explosive device was also recovered in a nearby area of Tronglaobi on Tuesday, another senior officer said.

Local NPP MLA Th Shanti Singh condemned the "brutal attack at Tronglaobi, allegedly carried out by Kuki narco-terrorists."

Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Tuesday a large number of youths and women held a protest against the killing of two children in a bomb attack by suspected militants in Moirang Tronglaobi area earlier in the day.

The protesters stormed the CRPF camp near Gelmol, a few hundred metres from the bomb attack site, burnt vehicles and vandalised properties there, he said.

"I had urged the protesters not to enter the CRPF camp and to allow security forces to focus on conducting an operation to apprehend those involved in the bomb attack," the minister said.

But the demonstrators did not pay heed to the appeal.

"They stormed the CRPF camp, burnt vehicles and vandalised portions of the camp, leading to firing by security personnel. They fired either in self-defence or in anger. Two persons, unfortunately, died in the firing, while five others sustained bullet injuries," the state home minister said.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh later said the State Government has decided to hand over the probe into the bomb attack in Bishnupur district, which claimed the lives of two children, to the National Investigation Agency.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh condemned the incident in the strongest terms and said the act appears to be the handiwork of individuals or groups with vested interests in disturbing the prevailing peace in the state.

He informed that the decision to hand over the case to the NIA was taken after detailed discussions with the state home minister and other MLAs.

The chief minister said that the perpetrators are yet to be identified at this stage and that a massive combing operation was currently underway.