Manipur government on Tuesday ordered a temporary suspension of internet and mobile data services in five districts for three days amid protests and a security clampdown following the death of two children.
Protests erupted after an infant and a five-year-old were killed in a suspected rocket strike on a house in Bishnupur district. The mother of the children sustained injuries and was hospitalized.
Authorities imposed the internet shutdown in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur districts to control the law-and-order situation. Security forces increased deployment in the area, launched search operations, and are investigating the attack.
Local residents reported a loud explosion early Tuesday morning at the residence of a BSF personnel in Moirang Tronglaobi Awang Leikai. Suspected Kuki militants are believed to have carried out the attack.
Protesters attempted to storm a CRPF camp and set oil tankers on fire in Bishnupur. Authorities have heightened surveillance in adjoining hill areas to prevent further violence.
Tronglaobi, about 46 km from Imphal, previously witnessed a rocket attack in September 2024, which killed one person and injured five others. Security remains on high alert.
Manipur’s fragile peace follows deadly ethnic clashes in May 2023 between Meiti and Kuki communities, sparked by a now-revoked high court order granting Meiti-specific benefits including land rights and government job quotas. (Agency)
