Manipur blast: CM chairs all-party meet; leaders assure full cooperation to govt
Imphal, April 7 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, on Tuesday night, chaired an all-party meeting to review the prevailing situation in the state following a deadly bomb attack in Bishnupur district that claimed the lives of two children and injured their mother.
An official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said the meeting discussed in detail the tragic incident at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai village in Bishnupur district and strongly condemned the “cowardly act”.
Representatives of various political parties expressed deep concern over the deteriorating law and order situation and emphasised the urgent need to maintain peace, unity, and communal harmony.
Leaders across party lines shared their views and assured full cooperation in efforts to restore normalcy.
The meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, resolved that those responsible for the attack must be identified at the earliest, arrested, and dealt with strictly as per the law. It also unanimously appealed to the public to remain calm and refrain from any form of agitation or violence, including damage to public property, and to cooperate with authorities in maintaining law and order.
Leaders from multiple political parties attended the meeting, including representatives from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, National People’s Party (NPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF) as well as opposition parties such as the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), NPP (TL), and the Republican Party of India (Athawale), among others.
Senior leaders, including former Manipur Chief Minister and state Congress President Okram Ibobi Singh and former Deputy Chief Minister Y. Joykumar Singh, were also present.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister announced that the state government had decided to hand over the investigation into the Bishnupur bomb attack to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The heinous incident occurred around 1 a.m., when a powerful explosive device, allegedly fired by suspected Kuki militants, struck a residence.
A five-year-old boy and his five-month-old sister were killed instantly, while their mother sustained injuries. The victims were reportedly asleep at the time of the attack, which also caused extensive damage to the house.
In an effort to prevent further escalation of violence, the Manipur government suspended internet and mobile data services, including broadband, for three days across five districts in the Imphal Valley — Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur.
Officials stated that the suspension was necessary to curb the spread of misinformation and maintain law and order. Additionally, an indefinite curfew has been imposed in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, and Kakching following widespread protests over the killing of the two children.
District Magistrates of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, and Kakching have issued separate orders enforcing curfew in their respective jurisdictions starting Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a police official said that two protesters were killed and three others injured in firing after a mob stormed a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Bishnupur on Tuesday.
A large number of people, including women, staged a massive protest condemning the killing of two children in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai village in Bishnupur district.
According to officials, the protesters stormed the CRPF camp near Gelmol, located a few hundred metres from the blast site, setting vehicles on fire and vandalising property.
–IANS
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