Cop injured as mob tries to set ablaze office in ethnic violence-hit Manipur

The Manipur government announced that the Tronglaobi ambush case will be handed over to the National Investigating Agency for a transparent investigation. Night torch rallies and security operations continued as authorities monitored the situation.

Protesters conducted night torch rallies across five districts demanding justice for the two victims; at Wangjing, protesters attempted to set a newly constructed Block Development Office ablaze. Security forces intervened to prevent arson; Takhelchangbam Romesh Sharma, 37, posted at the Wangjing police outpost, sustained critical head injuries and was admitted to intensive care unit in a local hospital.

Manipur Police arrested 19 bandh supporters from multiple locations in the greater Imphal area as thousands staged torch rallies. A five-day shutdown across five districts was observed since Sunday midnight. The United Naga Council called for a separate 72-hour shutdown in Naga-inhabited areas in response to the Tronglaobi killings.

Tensions escalated in Manipur on April 7 after two minors were killed in the Tronglaobi explosion. On the same day, three people were killed when security forces allegedly fired on a mob that stormed a paramilitary camp in Bishnupur during protests over the deaths; the mob vandalised the camp.

Ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities began in May 2023, with the violence leaving at least 260 people dead and about 60,000 displaced.