Violence in Manipur’s Bishnupur district kills five, injures 18, prompting indefinite curfew and internet shutdown to curb unrest.
Newsroom (16/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Manipur have imposed an indefinite curfew and suspended internet services across five districts after at least five people were killed and 18 injured in a new wave of ethnic violence. The latest clashes broke out in Bishnupur district on April 14, according to a report from New Delhi-based NDTV. Among the injured were at least five women caught in the turmoil that has rekindled deep sectarian divisions in the conflict-ridden state.
Officials ordered an immediate halt to mobile and internet connectivity in Bishnupur and neighboring districts to contain misinformation and prevent further escalation. The curfew follows an incident where a mob of Meiteis, the state’s predominantly Hindu group, set a car ablaze, alleging its passengers belonged to the Christian-majority Kuki-Zo community. The mob accused them of links to militants involved in a deadly bomb attack that killed two Meitei children and injured their mother on April 7.
Mounting Casualties and Growing Tensions
As anger spilled onto the streets, at least three demonstrators were killed when Meitei marchers demanding justice confronted security forces and attempted to storm a camp of the paramilitary Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF), accusing officers of negligence. The confrontation devolved into chaos when protesters refused to vacate barricaded roads, prompting authorities to use force to disperse the crowd.
Vehicular movement remains suspended along major routes, including the Bishnupur–Churachandpur corridor and highways linking the state capital’s Imphal International Airport, effectively paralyzing transport and intensifying public fear.
Leadership Rivalries Deepen the Crisis
A Church leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that the latest unrest may be less a communal flare-up and more a symptom of internal political rifts within Manipur’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He pointed to tensions between incumbent Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and his predecessor, N Biren Singh—both members of the Meitei community—as fueling instability.
“Biren Singh wants to portray his successor as incompetent and unable to maintain peace,” the source told UCA News.
Biren Singh resigned in February 2025 after repeated failures to restore calm during earlier bouts of ethnic strife. The state then came under direct federal rule until February 4 this year, when Yumnam Khemchand Singh assumed office following the lifting of central administration.
Denials and Counterclaims
Leaders from the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, representing Kuki-Zo and other tribal groups, have strongly denied accusations of involvement in the recent bomb attack. Church representatives assert that current violence cannot be attributed to tribal militants, arguing that most affected areas are inaccessible to Kuki-Zo people.
“There was relative peace during the federal rule,” another Church leader noted. “Now people are scared and vulnerable.”
Both Yumnam Khemchand Singh and former Chief Minister Biren Singh have declined to comment on the allegations or the escalating bloodshed.
A State Haunted by Its Past Violence
Manipur’s fragile peace has been repeatedly shattered since May 2023, when a controversial High Court order proposed granting tribal status to the Meitei community. Tribal groups, fearing loss of constitutional protections, staged mass protests that spiraled into ethnic warfare.
Since then, at least 260 people have died, and more than 60,000—mostly tribal Christians—have been displaced. Thousands of homes and over 360 churches have been reduced to rubble, forcing many to live in crowded relief camps scattered across the hills.
The Demographics of Division
Manipur’s population of 3.2 million is a mix of Meiteis, who form 53 percent, and tribal Christians, who make up about 41 percent. The simmering tensions between these groups, compounded by political rivalries and alleged administrative failure, continue to push the state toward deeper division.
As the indefinite curfew takes hold, residents brace for uncertainty amid fears that the latest round of violence may mark another grim chapter in Manipur’s protracted cycle of ethnic unrest.
- Raju Hasmukh with files form UCA News
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