New Delhi: Conflicts intensify, tensions escalate Manipur Thousands of protesters demanding lasting peace clashed with security forces on Saturday after their march to the official residence of Imphal Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh was blocked.The state, which has been grappling with racial violence for nearly three years, has seen new unrest as demonstrators try to break through barricades.
The protests were organized under the banner of the Coordination Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), with agitators holding four different rallies from different parts of the city.However, all processions were halted at key locations including Kisampa Junction, Kongla Gate, Konung Mamang and Moirangkhom as heavy security personnel were deployed to block the access to the chief minister’s bungalow in Babupara district.At Khurai Lamlong, about 2 kilometers from the chief minister’s official residence, the situation became unstable as protesters tried to break through the roadblocks. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowd, officials said.Despite the confrontation, a small group of representatives was later allowed to meet the chief minister and submitted a memorandum outlining their demands.
Anger over child death in Bishnupur blast
The protesters raised slogans and held placards, seeking justice for a five-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl who were killed in a bomb blast in Bishnupur district recently. The children and their mother were sleeping when an explosion ripped through the room, injuring the mother.They also called for rehabilitation and support for internally displaced people affected by protracted ethnic conflicts.COCOMI convenor YK Dhiren said after the meeting that unrest will intensify if concrete measures are not taken. He claimed that the crisis has not seen any meaningful resolution since the violence first broke out on May 3, 2023.COCOMI spokesperson Nahakpam Shanta Singh said the organization was seeking a report from the state government on action over the deaths of two children. bomb explosion April 7 at Tronglaobi.“Apart from this, we have made several other demands. If the government does not respond, we will be forced to seek other forms of democratic agitation,” he said.
New Naga-Kuki conflict leaves three dead
The protests come amid a renewed surge in violence in the state. Earlier on Friday, three persons, including a Tangkhul Naga and two Kuki-Zo, were killed in a gunbattle between rival armed groups in Ukhrul district. At least five people, including women, were injured in the clashes.Horshokmi Jamang, a 29-year-old man, was ambushed and killed by Kuki militants while patrolling near Sinakeithei village, Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) said. Meanwhile, security forces found the bodies of two Kuki deceased, identified as Paominlunhaolai (19) and Letlal Sitlhou (43), near Mullam village in the district.The Kuki group claimed that in addition to the killing of two Kuki village volunteers, 17 houses were burned down, several villagers were injured, and many people, including women and children, were displaced.Also read: Manipur riots: Torch rally over Tronglaubi blast turns violent; protesters clash with security forcesTo add insult to injury, a faction of the NSCN (Aleng Group) claimed that they had killed five cadres of the Kuki National Army of Myanmar (KNA-B) in the Kamjong district. However, this claim has not been officially confirmed and KNA-B has dismissed the accusations as “baseless and false”.
Torchlight rallies turn violent; 58,000 displaced
A seven-kilometre torchlight rally was also held from Mayalambi to Keshamthong in Imphal West district after a Tronlaubi bomb blast killed two children earlier this week. However, a police officer earlier told TOI that the situation escalated when participants became aggressive and clashed with security personnel.He added that security forces fired multiple rounds of tear gas in the Keishamthong area as hundreds of protesters defied the curfew and demanded permission to march an additional 200 meters towards Keisampat, near Lok Bhavan and the BJP state office.Ongoing conflicts between the Meiteis of the Imphal Valley and the Kukis of the mountains have killed more than 260 people and displaced thousands. The latest data available through RTI shows that 58,881 people remain internally displaced as of March 30, 2026, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
