Shutdown, Protests Disrupt Life Across Manipur; COCOMI Warns Leaders Against Attending Khongjom Day

IMPHAL – A shutdown called by various civil society organisations to protest the killing of two children and the critical injury of their mother in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai on April 7 brought normal life to a standstill across Bishnupur district on Tuesday and triggered a wave of demonstrations stretching from Imphal East to Kakching. Meira Paibis, youth organisations and residents enforced road blockades at dozens of locations, shuttering markets, suspending transport and forcing institutions to close, while speakers at rally after rally demanded accountability, justice and a government response proportionate to the gravity of the crisis.

The protests unfolded against a backdrop of compounding public anger: not only the bomb attack itself, but the alleged failure of security forces to prevent it, and the subsequent firing on protesters that, demonstrators alleged, resulted in three deaths and several further injuries. The day’s events also saw the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity’s (COCOMI) Women’s Wing issue a pointed political ultimatum ahead of Khongjom Day on April 23.

10.48 pm IST (20.04.2026).
Manipur is burning ?? and our leaders are busy in Election. pic.twitter.com/5Pxkllapjt

— Licypriya Kangujam (@LicypriyaK) April 20, 2026

In Bishnupur, Meira Paibis and local youths enforced the shutdown by blocking key stretches of Tiddim Road at multiple locations, including Tronglaobi, Moirang Lamkhai, Moirang Bazar, Thamnapokpi, Naransena, Sunushiphai, Phubala, Thinungei, Ningthoukhong, Toupokpi, Bishnupur and Nambol. Protesters burnt tyres and placed logs and bamboo across roads, halting vehicular movement and forcing commuters to turn back.

Similar blockades were enforced along the Moirang–Kumbi road at Shribon, Thoya, Kokilbond, Kangshoibi Mapal, Keirenphabi, Thangalawai and Kumbi, causing major inconvenience to the public. Markets at Nambol, Oinam, Bishnupur, Ningthoukhong, Moirang and Kumbi remained closed throughout the day. Public transport was largely suspended, and private vehicles avoided sensitive areas for fear of confrontation with protesters. Essential services functioned only partially, with many institutions operating with minimal staff or remaining shut entirely.

The Bishnupur District Recognised Private School Association condemned the killing of the two children and the injury of their mother in the strongest terms, calling the attack a “gross violation of human values.” The association demanded strict action against those responsible and expressed condolences to the bereaved family.

It announced that students, teachers and staff would wear black badges upon the reopening of schools and would organise mass condemnation programmes, signalling solidarity with the victims and a commitment to raising awareness among the younger generation about the gravity of the incident.

Demonstrations extended well beyond Bishnupur, signalling a broader mobilisation. At Palace Compound in Imphal, organisations including the Women Development Society held protests condemning the killings and demanding justice. Speakers criticised the role of security forces and called on the government to address the underlying causes of the conflict rather than limit its response to reactive measures.

In Imphal East, NONGPAL organised a peaceful rally where thousands of participants marched under black flags. A memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. The memorandum also highlighted concerns over illegal immigration and called for implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), linking broader governance issues to the present crisis.

Kakching district witnessed some of the most sustained protest activity of the day. At Kakching Khunou, demonstrators criticised the failure of security forces to protect civilians and raised pointed questions about the government’s decision to hand over investigation of the incident to a central agency, arguing that accountability must be ensured at every level of the administrative and security apparatus.

A protest organised by the All Kakching Khunou Meira Paibi Welfare Association at Kakching Khunou Keithel specifically condemned the April 7 bomb attack and its consequences. Participants also levelled serious allegations that central forces had failed to prevent the attack, and criticised the subsequent firing on protesters which, demonstrators claimed, had resulted in three deaths and several injuries.

A separate protest meeting at Wangoo Laipham community hall in the Sugnu Assembly Constituency, followed by a torch rally organised by Wangoo Apunba Meira Paibi and Wangoo Youth Front, echoed similar demands. Speakers warned that continued inaction would force an escalation of democratic agitations. Further demonstrations were reported at Mayang Imphal and in the Wabagai and Lamjao areas, where roads were blocked and markets suspended.

Manipur, India.
Hard to digest and hard to believe, but this is an image captured somewhere in the Manipur, India. These uniformed men are state security forces who are there to protect the lives and property of citizens. I really don't know what they are doing."#Manipur… pic.twitter.com/WIvcc38b4f

— huidrom athouba (@HuidromAthouba) April 21, 2026

The day’s most politically charged development came from the Women’s Wing of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which issued a formal warning to the state’s political establishment ahead of the Khongjom Day observance on April 23.

Addressing a press meet at Lamphelpat, convenor Wahengbam Luwangleima announced that the Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs and leaders of the BJP-led government would be barred from offering floral tributes at the Khongjom War Memorial Complex if they failed to publicly clarify their stance on the ongoing crisis before April 23. She stated that permitting politicians “acting in their own interests” to enter the memorial would amount to an insult to the martyrs of the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891.

Luwangleima alleged that the ongoing conflict, which began on May 3, 2023, was being deliberately escalated rather than resolved, and warned of attempts to deepen divisions among communities. She described the situation as a “proxy war” and accused the Centre of pursuing policies detrimental to Manipur and its indigenous population. She called for a mass public agitation and a social boycott of elected representatives supporting the government, accusing them of failing to protect lives and property.

In contrast to the atmosphere of protest, the Manipur State Transport (MST) announced practical measures to facilitate attendance at the Khongjom Day commemoration on April 23. According to a transport department release, special free bus services will operate between Imphal and Khongjom along multiple routes.

Buses will serve localities including Koirengei, Chingmeirong, Thangmeiband, Nagamapal, Wangkhei, Singjamei and Thoubal. Additional routes will pass through Porompat, Andro Parking, Kongba and Lilong, and along the Tera–Sagolband–Kwakeithel corridor extending toward Kakching and Khongjom. For the general public, buses will depart from designated points at 6:30 am. Five dedicated buses from MST Complex, Moirangkhom, heading to Khongjom via Singjamei have been scheduled between 6:00 am and 8:00 am. Separate arrangements have been made for government employees and media personnel.

Tuesday’s events add to an unbroken sequence of shutdowns, rallies and blockades that have punctuated life in Manipur since the outbreak of ethnic conflict in May 2023. The Tronglaobi bombing represents one of the most viscerally disturbing episodes of recent months, targeting children in a residential setting and generating outrage that has crossed community and political lines. The COCOMI ultimatum, directly connecting the Khongjom Day observance — a commemoration of Manipuri resistance and sacrifice — to the current crisis, reflects a deepening sense among civil society groups that the political class has forfeited its moral authority to participate in occasions of collective memory without first demonstrating accountability.

With Khongjom Day falling on April 23, authorities face the twin challenge of facilitating a significant public gathering while managing a state in which prohibitory orders, road blockades and competing shutdowns are simultaneously in force across multiple districts.