After Blast Kills 2 Children In Manipur, Internet Curbed & 2 Protestors Killed In Firing

Fresh violence has once again torn through Manipur’s already fragile buffer zone, with two young children killed after an explosive projectile struck a civilian home in Bishnupur district’s Moirang Tronglaobi village in the early hours of Monday, triggering fresh outrage, protests and a renewed internet shutdown across five districts.

The blast, which occurred around 1.30 am, hit a residential house in Tronglaobi Awang Leikai, a vulnerable settlement lying close to the heavily guarded "buffer zone" that separates the Meitei-majority valley districts from the Kuki-Zo-dominated hill areas of Churachandpur. According to the locals that Outlook spoke to, the explosion was powerful enough to instantly kill the two children, one aged five years and the other just five months old,  while their mother sustained critical injuries and is currently admitted to the ICU at Raj Medicity hospital.

The children’s father, locals said, is posted with the Border Security Force in Bihar and was on his way back to Manipur after being informed of the attack. The family had reportedly been preparing for a small ritual and celebration for the younger child when tragedy struck. 

There is fear and anxiety among the residents for whom the conflict has now become never-ending. 

Speaking from a relief camp barely four kilometres from the site of the explosion, Mairembam Ratan Singh, who has been displaced from Churachandpur since the conflict began, described the shock that swept through the camp after the blast.

“We heard the loud sound around 1.30 in the night. At first, we did not know whether it was a bomb or some kind of drill by the forces. Later, we came to know that two toddlers had died and the mother was seriously injured,” Singh told Outlook. 

Still shaken after visiting the spot, Singh said the incident has left residents questioning how such an attack could take place in one of the most militarised stretches of the state.

“This is a very volatile area. It is very close to the so-called buffer zone, almost within 500 metres. There are multiple lines of defence by central forces on both sides. So how can such an explosive reach a civilian house? That is what has made people very angry,” he said.

Moirang Tronglaobi lies in the low-lying valley belt of Bishnupur district, close to the foothills leading into Churachandpur. Since the outbreak of ethnic clashes nearly three years ago, this belt, including nearby Kwakta, Phougakchou Ikhai and Torbung, has remained one of Manipur’s most tense frontiers. Multiple checkpoints, CRPF deployments and restricted civilian movement have turned the area into a hardened security corridor, yet incidents of firing and attacks have continued to be reported from the stretch.

The killings sparked immediate protests by locals who gathered near the area demanding accountability from the security forces deployed there. According to Singh, the protest later turned violent after fresh firing. 

“People had enough. They went out to protest asking how this could happen despite so much security. Around 10 to 12 people were injured and two people died on the spot during the firing by the CRPF, ” he claimed. 

Singh, who has been living in a relief camp since 3 May 2023, said life for the displaced has remained unchanged despite repeated official claims of normalcy.

“Nothing has changed. We are not living in a camp, we are living in an open jail. We are fed up with shouting for justice for almost three years now,” he said.

Sinam Uttam Kumar Singha, 54, president of the Tronglaobi Youth Association and a cousin of the injured mother on her maternal side, said he was among the first to reach the house after the blast. “I was at home when I heard the loud sound at around 1 am. Since I am the president of the village club, I was immediately informed and rushed to the spot,” he told Outlook, adding that his house is about a kilometre away and within walking distance.

According to Singha, the mother and her two children were asleep on the same bed when the explosive struck through the window. He alleged that it appeared to be “an RPG-type improvised bomb”, which entered the house and caused severe injuries. “The children were hit in the head and could not be saved,” he said. The older child, a boy aged around five to six years, and the younger, a five-month-old girl, both succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospital.

He said the woman suffered injuries to the head and left hand, and that doctors were still assessing her condition.

Singha also claimed that another explosive device had been placed nearly 10 metres away and connected with wires, allegedly filled with nails and iron fragments to maximise casualties. “Even with two security companies deployed in Tronglaobi, they came from extremely close range and attacked people sleeping inside the house. Then how are we supposed to stay safe?” he said.

In a statement after visiting the injured mother at the hospital, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand condemned the attack as a “barbaric act” and “an assault on humanity”.

“This barbaric act is an assault on humanity and a deliberate attempt to disrupt Manipur’s hard-earned peace. Those responsible will be identified and dealt with strictly as per law,” he wrote a post on X. 

Hours later, the Manipur Home Department ordered the temporary suspension of internet and mobile data services, including broadband, VSAT and VPN services, across five districts,  Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur,  for three days beginning 2 pm on 7 April, citing fears that social media could be used to spread rumours, hate speech and mobilise mobs.

Locals have alleged the attack has been carried out by “kuki militants”.  However, the Kuki-Zo Council, representing the tribal community in Manipur, issued a statement strongly condemning the attack and rejecting allegations directed at the community.

“The Kuki-Zo Council strongly condemns the tragic bomb attack at Tronglaobi last night, which resulted in the loss of two innocent children, and unequivocally denounces such inhumane violence,” the statement read. 

The council also condemned the subsequent burning of three petroleum trucks at the Moirang Oil Pump Station, saying the supplies were meant for residents of Churachandpur and had no connection to the incident.

Rejecting accusations against the Kuki-Zo community, the council said, “With buffer zones strictly guarded by security forces, it is highly implausible for any Kuki-Zo individual to infiltrate and carry out such an attack within the interior of Meitei localities. We condemn the reckless attempt to tarnish our community’s name without any evidence.”