Two minors were killed in a “bomb attack” early on Tuesday in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, and two protesters died of bullet wounds suffered in firing by personnel when they attempted to storm a CRPF camp later.

The state government has handed over the blast probe to the NIA.

The unfolding law-and-order situation in the already-volatile state saw the Manipur government impose a curfew until further orders in five valley districts — Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur — and suspend mobile Internet services for three days.

The two children — five-year-old Oinam Tomthin and his five-month-old sister Oinam Yaisana — were killed in their sleep when bombs were hurled at their home in Tronglaobi in Meitei-majority Bishnupur district, bordering the Kuki-Zo-majority Churchandpur district, around 1.05am. Their mother suffered injuries.

During the protests that followed, roads were blocked and tyres burnt. The protesters tried to force their way into the CRPF camp around 200 metres from Tronglaobi. Two persons were killed and nine injured in firing by CRPF personnel to disperse the crowd around 12.30pm. The protesters also torched a few vehicles, reports from Imphal said.

State home minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh said five persons had suffered bullet injuries and two had died.

Chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who held a security review meeting and visited the hospital to meet the injured, told a media conference that the state government had decided to hand over the bomb attack case to the NIA.

He said the decision was taken after a detailed discussion with the state’s home minister, Konthoujam Govindas Singh, and other MLAs, adding that “the perpetrators are yet to be identified”.

Manipur has a BJP-led government. Khemchand took charge as chief minister in February, replacing N. Biren Singh under whose tenure the ongoing conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos erupted on May 3, 2023, leaving over 260 dead and 60,000 displaced.

An official statement said the chief minister had condemned the bomb attack and said the “act appears to be the handiwork of individuals or groups with vested interests in disturbing the prevailing peace in the state”.

Khemchand said a massive combing operation involving the state police, Assam Rifles and the CRPF was underway and that helicopters were also being used in the operation, adding that “the culprits will be caught at the earliest”.

He urged the people to remain calm, not give in to emotions and “cooperate with the ongoing operations and support efforts to restore normalcy”.

Home minister Govindas Singh said “such elements are peace disruptors who try to derail normalcy whenever the situation begins to improve”.

The Meitei Heritage Society condemned the “bomb attack carried out by Chin Kuki terrorists at Tronglaobi”.

“We are equally shocked and disturbed by the firing by the CRPF, which killed at least two helpless civilians and left over 24 injured. The protesters had stormed the CRPF camp to vent their anger and frustration over repeated failures to prevent such attacks,” the society said.

“Ironically, the father of the (deceased) babies is a Border Security Force trooper and is currently serving in Bihar, protecting the country,” the society added.

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) denounced “the tragic bomb attack at Tronglaobi” while rejecting the “baseless allegations being circulated against the Kuki-Zo community”.

“We also condemn the subsequent burning of three petroleum trucks at the Moirang oil pump station. These supplies were meant for the people of Churachandpur, who have no connection whatsoever to the incident. Targeting essential goods and livelihoods is unjustifiable and only deepens public suffering,” the KZC 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 in Meitei localities. We condemn the reckless attempt to tarnish our community’s name without any evidence,” it added.

The KZC said these incidents appeared to be a “calculated attempt to reignite ethnic tensions in Manipur”.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a Kuki-Zo organisation based in Churchandpur, also rejected the allegations against the community as “baseless and unsupported by any credible evidence”.

“The buffer zones between Kuki-Zo and Meitei areas are heavily guarded by security forces, making it virtually impossible for Kuki-Zo individuals to cross undetected to carry out any form of attack or to plant explosive devices in Meitei localities.... Moreover, the Kuki village nearest to Tronglaobi — Gelmol — is abandoned and currently occupied by CRPF personnel, further disproving these allegations,” the ITLF said.

Tronglaobi is around 4km from Churachandpur.