Five killed, no arrests as violence grips Manipur
Locals protest, clash with forces, demand attackers arrested
Manipur’s Endless Agony: Five Lives Lost, No Justice, Roads Blocked in Shadow of Violence
Tronglaobi, Manipur—In the misty hills of Bishnupur district, grief hangs heavier than the April rains. Since April 7, five people have been gunned down here, including two innocent children whose laughter was silenced forever. Yet, zero arrests. The killers roam free, taunting a community that’s screaming for justice. It’s a festering wound in Manipur’s three-year ethnic inferno between Meiteis and Kukis, where over 250 souls have perished and 60,000 displaced.
A senior government official lays it bare: the Bishnupur-Churachandpur road—lifeline to relief and probes—has been choked for 12 straight days. Protesters’ barricades are blocking the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) hunt for the April 7 child killers. “Unidentified attackers,” they say, but locals whisper of Kuki militants. No names, no cuffs—just endless waiting.
Meet Ranjana Devi, 42, whose nephew and his little sister were mowed down at a tea stall. “They were buying sweets after school,” she chokes out, eyes red from nights without sleep. “Bullets tore through them like paper. Who does that to kids?” The NIA swooped in, promising answers, but the blockade strands them. Trucks idle, forensics delayed—justice, a cruel mirage.
Rage boiled over last week. Thousands hit the streets in Bishnupur, clashing with security forces. Tear gas clouded the air; lathis cracked bones. Scores injured—protesters like young Thokchom Singh, 24, now limping with a fractured leg. “We just want arrests!” he shouts from his hospital bed. “Our kids die, and police twiddle thumbs?” Clashes echo the state’s paralysis: over 5,800 arms looted since May 2023, militias ruling villages.
Manipur’s a powder keg. Meitei valleys versus Kuki hills—land, jobs, quotas fueling the fire. Supreme Court raps the Biren Singh government for inaction; AFSPA extended amid “disturbed” labels. Yet bodies pile: five this fortnight alone. The roadblock? Pro-Meitei mobs fear Kuki ambushes, demanding convoys first. Kukis counter with their own blockades elsewhere.
Families huddle in relief camps, kids’ photos pinned to walls. “My son dreamed of being a doctor,” sobs one mother, clutching a bloodied schoolbag. No arrests mean no closure—fear festers. Women volunteer patrols, men sleep with rifles. Economy grinds: markets shuttered, farms untended.
Government scrambles: helicopters airlift supplies, but optics fail. Biren tours, vows probes—empty calories. Opposition screams bias; Kukis allege Meitei favoritism. NIA’s handcuffed without access—attackers’ trail cools daily.
This isn’t stats; it’s shattered lives. Those Tronglaobi kids? Symbols of innocence lost. As blockades harden, Manipur bleeds. Unlock the road, cuff the killers—or watch the divide devour more dreams.