Imphal: Angry demonstrators protesting the tragic death of two young children in a recent bomb blast in Manipur clashed with security forces during a torch rally in the state capital of Imphal, police said.
The incident stems from a bomb explosion on April 7 at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district, where two children — a 5-year-old boy and his 6-month-old sister — died, leaving their mother critically injured. Since then, the Imphal Valley’s five districts have seen relentless daily protests, fueled by grief and outrage over the violence amid the state’s ongoing ethnic tensions, agencies reported.
On Monday night, a 7-km-long torch rally set off from Mayai Lambi and wound its way to Keishamthong in Imphal West district. However, the peaceful procession quickly spiraled into chaos as participants turned aggressive and clashed directly with security personnel, according to a police officer.
Security forces were compelled to fire several rounds of tear gas
shells in the Keishamthong area after hundreds of protesters, defying strict curfew orders, demanded to press forward just another 200 meters into the nearby Keisampat area — which lies close to the Lok Bhavan administrative hub and the BJP state office — he explained.
Stringent curfew measures, prohibiting any movement outside residences, continue to be imposed across all five valley districts daily from 5 pm to 5 am to maintain public order.
“Protesters pelted the security forces with stones and iron pellets from catapults, endangering the lives of the heavily outnumbered security forces,” the officer said.
In related developments, Manipur Police have arrested 19 individuals accused of violating curfew restrictions and committing offenses such as blocking roads and vandalizing public property in the Greater Imphal area. These detentions took place across various locations in Imphal West district on Sunday, a police statement said.
Meanwhile, in the Ukhrul district headquarters, a somber candlelight vigil was organized on Monday night to honour two Tangkhul Naga civilians who were fatally ambushed in the TM Kasom area on April 18.
Various civil society organizations representing both valley and hill communities have vehemently condemned the brutal killings, alleging that the victims were shot by Kuki militants using sophisticated sniper rifles.