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Violent protests in Manipur after projectile attack kills 2 children sleeping in their home

April 07, 2026 5 min read Internal Security Social Issues GS Paper 3 (Internal Security Extremism and Insurgency)
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What Happened

  • A projectile (RPG/rocket-propelled device) struck a civilian home in Bishnupur district, Manipur in the early hours of April 7, 2026, killing two sleeping children — a newborn and a 4-year-old — and injuring their mother
  • Bishnupur residents immediately took to the streets, enforcing road blockades by burning tyres
  • A mob set fire to three trucks, including two oil tankers
  • Protesters attempted to storm a CRPF post; security forces opened fire, killing 2 protesters and injuring at least 26
  • The Government of Manipur ordered an indefinite curfew across four valley districts and suspended mobile internet for three days
  • The case was transferred to the NIA (National Investigation Agency) for investigation
  • Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh announced the NIA handover

Static Topic Bridges

Insurgent Groups and UAPA Proscription in Manipur

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 has been in force in Manipur since 1958, designating the state a "disturbed area." Multiple armed groups — Meitei nationalist and Kuki-Zomi — operate in the state, several of which are listed as unlawful or terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

  • AFSPA, 1958: Grants armed forces special powers in "disturbed areas" including power to arrest without warrant, use necessary force including opening fire if needed to maintain public order, and protection from prosecution without Central Government sanction (Section 6 and Section 7)
  • UAPA, 1967 (amended 2004, 2008, 2019): Allows designation of organisations as "unlawful associations" and "terrorist organisations"; enables attachment of property, denial of bail in terror cases
  • Kuki National Army (KNA) affiliates are proscribed under UAPA; attacks by proscribed organisations are "terrorist acts" attracting NIA jurisdiction
  • Meitei armed groups (Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun): Described by reports as militant vigilante groups operating in the valley; their legal status under UAPA is contested
  • NIA (National Investigation Agency Act, 2008): Takes jurisdiction over UAPA offences, explosive attacks on civilian infrastructure, and organised cross-border crimes

Connection to this news: The RPG/mortar attack on a civilian home, attributed to Kuki militant groups, is framed as a "terrorist act" — justifying NIA jurisdiction and central government intervention in what is nominally a state-level law and order matter.

India's Northeast and Insurgency: Historical Dimensions

Manipur's insurgency is rooted in contested integration post-1947. The state signed the Instrument of Accession in 1949 under disputed circumstances. Multiple secessionist movements emerged, and the state has experienced nearly unbroken armed conflict for seven decades. The May 2023 ethnic conflict layered a new Meitei-Kuki dimension onto the pre-existing insurgency landscape.

  • Manipur Merger (1949): Maharajah Bodhachandra Singh signed the Merger Agreement on September 21, 1949; Meitei nationalists have contested its legitimacy
  • Scheduled Tribes status: A core demand of the Kuki-Zo community; the Meitei community's demand for ST status triggered the 2023 conflict
  • Sixth Schedule of the Constitution: Provides autonomous district councils in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram; Manipur hill districts are not under the Sixth Schedule (a longstanding Kuki demand)
  • Inner Line Permit (ILP): Manipur adopted ILP in 2019 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, restricting entry of outsiders into the state — a demand long pushed by Meitei organisations
  • Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements: Temporary ceasefire agreements between the Centre/State and armed groups; the Manipur government unilaterally withdrew from SoO with Kuki-Zomi groups in 2023

Connection to this news: The withdrawal from SoO agreements and breakdown of ceasefire arrangements with Kuki-Zomi groups correlates directly with the escalation of lethal attacks on civilian populations in 2023–2026.

Law and Order vs. Internal Security: Constitutional Framework

Law and order is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule (List II — State List, Entry 1). However, when a conflict crosses into organised armed insurgency or terrorism, it becomes a matter of national security, enabling Central intervention through deployment of CAPFs under Article 355, AFSPA, and NIA jurisdiction.

  • Article 355: Imposes a duty on the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance — constitutional basis for Central intervention in Manipur
  • Entry 1, State List: "Public order (but not including [the use of] naval, military or air forces or any other Armed Forces of the Union in aid of the civil power)"
  • Concurrent List, Entry 2: Criminal law and procedure (CrPC/BNSS, IPC/BNS, Evidence Act)
  • Union List, Entry 2A: Deployment of armed forces of the Union in any state in aid of the civil power
  • President's Rule (Article 356): Constitutional option if state machinery fails; not yet invoked in Manipur despite prolonged conflict
  • Governor's Report: Precondition for invoking Article 356; political considerations have kept direct Presidential Rule at bay

Connection to this news: The decision to hand over investigation to NIA — a Central agency — while maintaining state-level curfew and security operations illustrates the complex Centre-State dynamic in managing an insurgency-cum-ethnic conflict under India's federal framework.

Key Facts & Data

  • Victims: Newborn (6-month-old) and 4-year-old child, Tronglaobi Awang Leikai, Bishnupur
  • Attack type: Projectile (suspected RPG/mortar shell fired by militant group)
  • Attack time: Early hours of April 7, 2026
  • Protest deaths: 2 killed by security forces near CRPF post; 26+ injured
  • Property destroyed: 3 trucks including 2 oil tankers
  • Curfew: Indefinite curfew in 4 valley districts
  • Internet shutdown: Mobile internet suspended for 3 days in 5 valley districts
  • NIA handover: Announced by Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh
  • AFSPA in Manipur: In force since 1958
  • Manipur ethnic conflict: Ongoing since May 3, 2023; 258+ killed, 60,000+ displaced
  • UAPA: Governs proscription of terror organisations; NIA Act 2008 gives NIA jurisdiction
  • SoO (Suspension of Operations) with Kuki-Zomi groups: Withdrawn by Manipur government in 2023
  • Article 355: Union's duty to protect states from internal disturbance — basis for Central force deployment