Fresh violence in Manipur leaves six dead, prompts curfew and internet suspension in five districts as probe is handed to the National Investigation Agency.
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IMPHAL — Four persons, including two children, were killed in a blast in Manipur’s Bishnupur district early Tuesday, triggering fresh violence and prompting the state government to hand over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The blast occurred at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai under Moirang Police Station at around 1 am when a suspected rocket projectile struck a residential house while the family was asleep. A five-year-old boy and a five-month-old girl succumbed to injuries after being taken to a hospital in Imphal, while three other family members, including their mother, were injured.
Tensions escalated in the aftermath, with two persons killed and several others injured when protesters attempted to storm a CRPF camp of the 8th Battalion in Bishnupur district. At least 25 others sustained injuries during the incident.
Also read: Manipur CM vows strict action after bomb attack kills two children in Bishnupur
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, addressing a press conference, condemned the attack and described it as an attempt by “vested interests” to disturb peace in the state. He said the decision to transfer the case to the NIA was taken after consultations with Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam and other legislators.
The chief minister said the perpetrators have not yet been identified and that a massive combing operation has been launched. Combined security forces, including the state police, Assam Rifles and CRPF, have been deployed, with aerial surveillance also underway.
A high-level security review meeting involving the Army, Assam Rifles, state police and CRPF has also been held, with instructions issued to intensify operations. He said those responsible would be brought to justice at the earliest.
Widespread protests were reported from several areas, with shops and markets remaining closed. In Moirang, three goods trucks were set on fire, while schools and coaching centres in and around Imphal remained shut.
The state government has suspended internet services for three days from 2 pm on April 7 in five districts—Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kakching and Thoubal. Curfew has also been imposed in these districts, with exemptions for essential services, including the media.
Meanwhile, the chief minister chaired an all-party meeting on Tuesday evening at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to review the situation. Leaders from various political parties, including former Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and former Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar Singh, condemned the attack and stressed the need to maintain peace and communal harmony.
The meeting resolved that those responsible should be identified and arrested at the earliest, and appealed to the public to remain calm and refrain from any form of violence or damage to public property.