On Sunday, markets and shops remained closed in parts of Manipur due to the shutdown called by Meira Paibis, Meitei civil society groups and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed in response to the killings of the 4-year-old boy and his baby sister in Bishnupur’s Tronglaobi Awang Leikai village, near Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district. As a sign of protest, the families of the children have refused to take custody of their bodies.
Hours after the incident in Tronglaobi Awang Leikai village, a mob had stormed a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Gelmol village in Bishnupur on 7 April. Three civilians were killed and more than 20 injured in the resultant firing by security personnel.
Meanwhile, Meitei civil society groups and hundreds of residents took to the streets, leading to clashes with security forces in Imphal on 18 April. Security forces resorted to tear gas shelling and lathi-charged protesters to contain the demonstrations. On 17 April, ambulance staff too were allegedly assaulted by security personnel in Imphal West district.
On Sunday, former Manipur chief minister N, Biren Singh took to X to say: “I am deeply concerned by reports of tear gas being used in the vicinity of hospitals and residential areas, causing distress to ordinary citizens. Such actions must be handled with utmost restraint and sensitivity, and these spaces must remain protected at all times.”
I am deeply concerned by reports of tear gas being used in the vicinity of hospitals and residential areas, causing distress to ordinary citizens. Such actions must be handled with utmost restraint and sensitivity, and these spaces must remain protected at all times.
At the…
— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) April 19, 2026
“At the same time, I appeal to everyone to show calm and compassion. We are all citizens of the same land. Please refrain from violence and pursue only peaceful and democratic means of expression,” he added.
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Bishnupur, the trigger
A spokesperson for the Meitei Heritage Society, an NGO preserving and promoting the history and culture of the community, told ThePrint Sunday that Meiteis are angered by the Bishnupur killings, and security forces’ handling of the aftermath. “People have lost trust. Until a proper investigation is not done into the matter, we have refused to take the bodies of our children.”
The spokesperson said the 7 April incident led to fresh protests by Meitei groups demanding a proper investigation. The protesters took to the streets on the night of 18 April, the spokesperson said, adding that security forces used “excessive force”.
For instance, a torch rally at Sagolband in Imphal West faced tear gas shells on the night of 18 April. “There was tear gas shelling, many have been assaulted and beaten up by forces, stones have also been pelted. CCTVs have also been destroyed,” the spokesperson said.
On Sunday, Imphal West SP Ksh Shivakanta Singh told ThePrint, “Over the past few days, nightly Meira rallies are being taken out in various areas of Imphal. During several of these occasions, many anti-social elements, under the guise of protesters, have engaged in violent activities.”
“It has also been observed that many protesters are under the influence of liquor or other intoxicants. Furthermore, it has been learnt that some instigators are supplying petrol/kerosene bombs, catapults and iron projectiles ahead of these rallies” he added.
Despite these provocations, security forces have exercised restraint while dispersing the gatherings, with the aim of preventing any collateral damage, he said, adding that four security personnel and four civilians were injured in the violence on 18 April.
He also appealed to all law-abiding citizens to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and harmony and to refrain from violence, destruction of public property and other unlawful activities. Legal action will be initiated against those involved in violence, as well as against instigators, he added.
Reacting to the allegations, a senior police officer from Manipur said that “minimal force” was used to disperse the protesters.
On Sunday, the Joint Action Committee (JAC), which was formed in response to the incident at Tronglaobi, called a five-day shutdown in valley areas, the officer said.
Another senior police officer said the situation remains tense.
“Protests have been going on since the unfortunate 7 April incident where two children were killed. Also, three men were killed in action by the CRPF that made things worse. Whenever people gather, they are dispersed by the police. This also leads to clashes in which the police have to resort to lathi charge and the people are injured. Multiple FIRs have been registered in this regard,” the officer told ThePrint Saturday, adding that constant patrolling and flag marches are on and people are requested to stay indoors.
“In the clashes, not many people were injured. Most of the protesters usually come at night, and take out torch rallies. The security forces deployed there have been told to stop the protesters from taking out the marches,” another senior police officer told ThePrint.
Admitting that the police used “tear gas”, the officer said they have largely been able to “contain and disperse the crowds”.
As for the attack on healthcare workers, Romen Yendrembam, proprietor of Kangleicha Ambulance Service, told ThePrint over the phone Saturday, “A day before, when we were bringing a ventilator patient, the security personnel stopped us midway.
“They lathi-charged our staff. The male nurses and service help care staff hit, slapped, and beaten with sticks. How will healthcare workers work now?”
In a statement, the Meitei Heritage Society said that the protests are a “manifestation of the accumulated frustration” and “anger stemming from repeated failures of the security forces” to protect civilian lives from “the ongoing campaign of terror by Kuki militants targeting Meitei civilians”.
While they were yet to issue a fresh statement, the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) had earlier this month expressed “profound grief and deepest condolences to the families of two Meitei minor children who tragically lost their lives in a bomb explosion in the early hours of this morning at Tronglaobi, Bishnupur, Manipur”.
Adding, “KOHUR unequivocally condemns this heinous act of violence and stands firmly with all innocent victims of the ongoing conflict in Manipur, irrespective of community or ethnicity.
“However, KOHUR strongly and categorically condemns the reckless and irresponsible conduct of certain Meite political figures and media houses who have, without a shred of evidence or proof, directly accused the Kuki-Zo community of responsibility for this tragic incident. Such inflammatory rhetoric, issued without any substantiation, is not only a gross miscarriage of public trust but also a deliberate attempt to inflame communal tensions at a critically sensitive time.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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