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Manipur tension escalates as protests grow over killing of Meitei siblings
Protests intensify in Manipur’s Imphal Valley after two Meitei children were killed; curfew imposed, internet curbs and NIA probe underway.
Tension escalated in Manipur’s Imphal Valley on Thursday as protesters defied restrictions and took to the streets over the killing of two Meitei siblings in Bishnupur district on Tuesday.
A suspected rocket strike on a house killed a five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister in the early hours of Tuesday, sparking fresh unrest and a security clampdown in the region. Later on Tuesday, a group of protesters stormed a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp, vandalised it and set vehicles on fire. Security forces allegedly opened fire afterward, killing three people. Over two dozen others were injured.
The government had imposed a curfew in five districts—Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Kakching and Thoubal—after the CRPF firing incident and suspended internet services and mobile data. Restrictions on broadband services were lifted on Wednesday.
The state government transferred the Meitei siblings’ case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). On Thursday, a team from the agency carried out a spot investigation at the incident site.
Protests continue in ethnic violence-hit Manipur
On Thursday, protesters blocked several streets, burnt tyres and disrupted vehicular movement at locations such as Moirang Lamkhai and Ningthoukhong in Bishnupur district, as well as parts of Imphal East, Thoubal and Kakching.
The All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO), a conglomerate of five civil bodies, organised a protest march towards Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand’s residence in Imphal but was stopped by security forces at Keishamthong Hodam Leirak along Tiddim Road (NH-2).
Later, a delegation of AMUCO representatives was escorted to meet Khemchand at the CM Secretariat to present their demands, which included the immediate arrest of those behind the Tronglaobi attack.
Another group of protesters tried to march towards the CM’s official residence in Samurou but was stopped by police.
Following the meeting, Khemchand said the government was taking stock of the situation “with utmost seriousness” and was in constant coordination with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He assured that all necessary steps were being taken to restore normalcy. “The incident is deeply unfortunate and has disrupted ongoing peace-building efforts. The government remains firmly committed to maintaining law and order and ensuring the safety and security of all citizens,” he said.
In Imphal, an advocate demanding justice for the two minors allegedly tried to self-immolate in front of Lok Bhavan on Thursday. Police foiled the attempt and took him into custody.
Family of the deceased Meitei siblings
On Thursday, the grandmother of the two deceased children, Oinam Ongbi Loidang, refused to accept any monetary compensation and urged the authorities to arrest those responsible for the deaths within five days.
“We do not want any money as compensation, I cannot exchange my grandchildren with money, money cannot replace them...They say peace is returning, but how could such a brutal act happen? When will this violence end? Who will be the next victim?” she said.
According to family members of the two minors, the 37-year-old mother—who is also injured and admitted to the hospital—the wife of a serving BSF personnel, learned about her children’s deaths only on Thursday morning from a local daily.
“She keeps fainting and asks to bring her children back. She wants to see them and is angry we didn’t tell her earlier,” Loidang said. “We don’t know how to respond. Watching her suffer like this is unbearable.”
