A land that burns in silence: 5 lives lost in weeks, tear gas and 21 arrests, Manipur still waits for peace

On the night of April 7, a rocket-like projectile struck a home in Tronglaobi village, Bishnupur district, while a mother and her two young children were asleep. A five-year-old boy and a five-month-old infant were killed instantly . The mother was injured and hospitalized. The children's father, a BSF jawan , posted away from home, learned that the border he guards had offered his family no protection .

This is Manipur in April 2026 . And this is not a new story. It is the same story, told again, in blood .

Over 250 lives have been lost and more than 60,000 people displaced since May 2023, when ethnic tensions between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities exploded into open conflict. What was supposed to be a new chapter , a new Chief Minister, Yumnam Khemchand Singh , sworn in after the lifting of President's Rule , with confidence-building measures like buffer zones and vehicle escorts, has collapsed under the weight of fresh violence . Hope, once again, has been buried in the rubble.

Since April 7 alone, five people have been killed, two children, a BSF constable, and two Tangkhul Naga civilians including a retired soldier. Not a single arrest has been made in any of these cases. The NIA investigation has been hampered by roadblocks and protests, and probe teams have not even received CCTV visuals from near the crime scene. Justice moves at a crawl while grief moves at the speed of a bomb.

The rage on the streets has been building steadily. A shutdown covering several valley districts was called by the Meira Paibis , the women torchbearers and one of Manipur's most influential civil bodies, along with various organisations, bringing daily life to a near-complete halt . Members of the group were seen blocking roads and restricting movement across key areas.

On April 18, thousands carrying torches took part in a protest rally along the Imphal-Jiribam road from Patsoi to Sagolband, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the April 7 blast. The rally soon turned violent, with sections of the crowd resorting to stone-pelting, petrol bombs, and catapults against security personnel. Three personnel of the 232 Battalion CRPF sustained serious injuries, and official vehicles were vandalised. By Monday, 21 people were arrested in connection with the violence, including one individual linked to Arambai Tenggol. A separate 23-year-old was also detained for allegedly inciting unrest through social media .

The protests did not stop there. On Sunday evening, night rallies swept across Koirengei, Hatta Golpati, Kakching, and Mayai Lambi. Security forces used tear gas shells to disperse crowds at several locations. COCOMI, an apex body of the Meitei community, accused security forces of using excessive force and criticised the state leadership, rejecting claims that the situation was improving.

A local activist summed up the mood: “Right now, no one in Manipur feels safe . We do not know what might happen next.” That uncertainty has now begun to affect relationships between communities that once stood together, tensions are emerging between Naga and Kuki groups who were earlier seen as supportive of each other. The conflict is not just deepening. It is spreading.

Even Prime Minister Modi’s visit last yea r, along with the announcement of economic projects worth Rs 7,300 crore , failed to bring calm. The fires of Manipur are not fuelled by poverty alone, they are driven by decades of ethnic mistrust, political failure, and the unchecked spread of arms , along with a national imagination that has too often looked away from the northeast . The conflict has also taken on a religious dimension , adding another layer to an already complex divide.

Manipur is not a distant conflict zone. It is the heart of a people crying out, and the silence from the rest of the country may be the deepest wound of all.