The Manipur government on Tuesday ordered suspension of internet and mobile data services in five districts for three days amid protests over a bomb attack in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Tuesday, which left two children dead and their mother injured.
A home department statement said, "In view of the prevailing law and order situation in five districts of Manipur - Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur and to stop the spread of disinformation and false rumours ... the government has decided to order temporary suspension of internet services and mobile data services including broadband, VSATs and VPN services."
Internet suspension
The incident occurred at around 1 am when suspected militants hurled a bomb at a house in Moirang Tronglaobi area, killing a 5-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl, a senior officer said. The two children and their mother were sleeping in their bedroom when the bomb exploded in the house, a police officer said.
Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in the state and promised action against the culprits. Singh called the attack a "barbaric act" and "an outright assault on humanity and a direct attempt to derail the hard-earned peace in Manipur".
He also urged citizens to remain united and resolute against those who wish to disrupt the harmony between communities.
"Whenever the government takes up initiatives to instill peace and tranquillity in the state, we usually witness sporadic violence," he added.
Locals staged a protest this morning and torched two oil tankers and a truck near a petrol pump in the area. Tyres were burnt in front of the Moirang Police Station and across Imphal to protest the murder. A makeshift police outpost was also destroyed during the protest.
The administration has deployed security forces to control the situation.
Low-lying Moirang Tronglaobi is located close to hill areas of Churachandpur and witnessed consistent gun firing during the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in 2023 and 2024.
Local NPP MLA Th Shanti Singh condemned the "brutal attack at Tronglaobi, allegedly carried out by Kuki narco-terrorists".
"This heinous act is nothing less than an act of terrorism. Such inhuman acts have no place in our society and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said.
An explosive device was also recovered in a nearby area of Tronglaobi on Tuesday, another senior officer said.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
