Imphal: Fierce protests erupted at Wangjing Tentha in Manipur’s Thoubal district, forcing chief minister Y Khemchand Singh to fly a 26-km route by Indian Army helicopter from Imphal to Khongjom on Tuesday.
He avoided extensive road barricades, burning tyres and enraged demonstrators demanding justice for the April 7 Tronglaobi bomb victims before any ceremonies, amid strong local opposition to his visit to dedicate the new Block Development Office (BDO).
The Chief Minister pressed ahead with the inauguration, handing the BDO office to the local community before returning to Imphal by helicopter that afternoon defying appeals from Meira Paibi groups — the traditional Meitei women vigilante networks known as “torchbearers” who patrol nights to protect civil society — to postpone the event amid widespread grief over the Tronglaobi attack, where suspected Kuki militants hurled bombs killing a 5-year-old boy and 6-month-old girl while critically injuring their mother.
Persistent turmoil had already stalled daily routines in the state’s valley districts, with the situation worsening on Tuesday as a three-day shutdown by Naga civil groups crippled activities in numerous hill areas through forceful highway closures, large-scale rallies, and tight travel curbs.
Manipur Police, in an X post, described how a sizeable crowd wielding stones and catapults pressed forward to the event location, reportedly intent on damaging the freshly constructed Block Development Office (BDO). Even after multiple warnings, the group kept advancing aggressively, endangering public assets and attendees.
“Minimum necessary force was applied. As a last resort, controlled firing was undertaken as per protocol to disperse the mob,” police said, noting that one individual—identified as Elangbam Nandbir Singh (40), a Village Defence Force SPO—was hurt. Order was eventually restored.
