Manipur Violence Escalates: CRPF Opens Fire, Internet Shutdown Imposed in 5 Districts After Children Killed in Suspected Militant Attack
By NIRENDRA DEV
Guwahati, April 7, 2026 — The Manipur government imposed a three-day mobile internet shutdown across five districts — Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur — following a deadly suspected militant attack that killed two children and critically injured their mother, triggering fresh protests and violence across the restive northeastern state.
Children Killed in Suspected Kuki Militant Attack in Bishnupur
A 5-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl were killed in their sleep, and their mother was left critically injured, after suspected Kuki militants lobbed an explosive device at their home in Tronglaobi Awang Leikai village in Moirang — a known flashpoint in the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
The attack, which occurred just after midnight on Tuesday, immediately sparked widespread protests across Bishnupur district. Authorities responded by clamping a curfew in Bishnupur, where the incident took place.
CRPF Opens Fire as Mob Storms Camp; Multiple Casualties Reported
The Manipur-based Ukhrul Times reports that at least three people were killed and several others injured after CRPF personnel opened fire during a protest at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district.
A large mob gathered outside a CRPF camp in the Gelmon area to protest the militant attack. The situation turned violent when the mob stormed a Central Reserve Police Force camp near the foothills of P Gelmol, close to the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border.
Multiple sources in Delhi — some of whose reports remain unconfirmed — indicate that one CRPF camp at Tronglaobi was set ablaze by the advancing mob. Visuals suggest extensive damage to residential quarters and administrative structures within the camp perimeter.
With the mob threatening to breach weapon armories housing small arms and explosives, security forces were compelled to act.
“To prevent the looting of lethal weaponry — which would be catastrophic for regional security — personnel deployed controlled firing to push back the mob and secure the remaining tactical assets,” a security source said.
Protesters Torch Vehicles, Damage Police Infrastructure
The attack triggered a chain of violent protests across the area. Locals torched two oil tankers and a truck near a petrol pump, burned tyres outside a police station, and damaged a makeshift police outpost. Security forces were rapidly deployed to restore order.
Bomb Squad Defuses Unexploded Mortar Shell at Attack Site
In a related development, a bomb squad safely defused an unexploded mortar shell recovered from Tronglaobi, Moirang — the same location as the deadly attack on the children.
The mobile internet suspension covers Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur for a period of three days, as authorities work to contain the spread of misinformation and prevent further mob mobilisation amid the ongoing ethnic unrest.
In a separate development, Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera, Director General of Assam Rifles, called on Nagaland Governor Nand Kishor Yadav at Raj Bhavan in Kohima. During the meeting, the two discussed matters relating to security and development in Nagaland. The Governor acknowledged the critical role of Assam Rifles in maintaining peace and stability across the northeastern region.
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023, resulting in hundreds of deaths, thousands displaced, and repeated cycles of curfews, internet shutdowns, and military deployments across the state.
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