Protesters marching on Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand’s residence clashed with security forces Thursday night, leaving several injured and a house on fire, amid demands for justice over the April 7 RPG killing of two children.
IMPHAL — At least one house caught fire and several people were injured, including two central security force personnel, after security forces fired tear gas and smoke bombs Thursday night to disperse a large crowd of protesters who marched towards the direction of the private residence of Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand at Singjamei Yumnam Leikai — one of the most dramatic escalation yet in the wave of public anger following the killing of two children in a suspected RPG attack in Bishnupur district earlier this month.
The house caught fire after smoke bombs and stun grenades fired by security forces landed inside a room. However, it was controlled and no major damages were reported. Videos circulating on social media also purportedly showed security personnel assaulting civilians and vandalising CCTV cameras in the vicinity. Windshields of vehicles parked outside were also smashed during the incident.
Singjamei | Manipur | 16-04-26
— Tribal Koubru (@koubru_lakpa) April 16, 2026
Shame! Shame!
Central security forces are destroying a CCTV camera at the scene of protest against the killing of children by Kuki terr0rists.
What are the security forces trying to hide?
What is it the "law enforcers" don't want to show the… pic.twitter.com/OEOHTO061e
Several protesters sustained injuries in the clashes. Two central security force personnel were also hurt after demonstrators pelted stones. A few police personnel were briefly detained by the crowd before being released.
The rally, which began from Lilong around 8 p.m., was organised by the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation, the Manipuri Students’ Federation, Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba Manipur, the All Manipur Women Voluntary Association and the Committee on Human Rights. Demonstrators shouted slogans including “We shall protect our own land,” “Killing children is unacceptable,” and “Central forces go back” as the crowd swelled while moving toward Singjamei.
The march turned confrontational when the procession unexpectedly advanced toward the chief minister’s residence. State police and central forces blocked the protesters at Singjamei Chingamakhong. As tensions escalated, security personnel deployed tear gas shells and smoke bombs. Protesters retaliated by pelting stones, injuring two security force personnel. Authorities fired repeated rounds of tear gas late into the night to bring the situation under control, which was eventually contained.
Protesters were demanding justice for two children killed when suspected Kuki militants fired an RPG at a residential house in Tronglaobi Awang Leikai in Bishnupur district at approximately 1:05 a.m. on April 7 under the jurisdiction of Moirang police station.
A five-year-old boy, Oinam Tomthin, died on the spot. His five-month-old sister, Yaishana, succumbed to injuries at Raj Medicity hospital following surgery. Their mother, Binita, remains in critical condition at the same facility. The family belongs to Oinam Mangi, a BSF personnel currently posted in Kishanganj, Bihar. The suspected warhead reportedly entered through a window of the room where the family was sleeping and exploded inside.
Enraged residents took to the streets around 1:30 a.m. following the attack, marching toward nearby central security force camps. Protesters damaged a Rakshak vehicle and set fire to the gate of Moirang police station. Three Tata vehicles were also torched. Two persons were subsequently killed and several others injured when security forces opened fire as a large number of protesters charged at a CRPF camp in Gelmol later that day.
The April 7 violence brought the death toll from that day’s events to four — the two children in the RPG attack and two protesters killed in the CRPF firing — with over 20 others, including women, injured in subsequent clashes.
Manipur has remained on edge since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023 between the valley-based Meetei community and the hill-based Kuki-Zo groups, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing tens of thousands. The Tronglaobi attack and the Thursday night protests reflect the continued volatility on the ground despite a prolonged security and administrative presence in the state.
