2 Injured In Blast In Manipur's Bishnupur, Villagers Protest 'Inaction'

Two people were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near an abandoned house of a Meitei family in Manipur's Bishnupur district went off this morning, officials said.

The first explosion happened inside the abandoned house between 5 am and 6 am, villagers said. A second explosion some 200 metres away from the house in Bishnupur's Saiton village left a man and a woman injured, they said.

The explosions took place one after another, the villagers told the central security force deployed in the area.

The two people injured in the second explosion have been identified as Soibam Sanatomba Singh, 52, and Nongthombam Indubala Devi, 37.

The house belongs to a 70-year-old man, Salam Mani Singh, and has remained abandoned since May 2023 when the Meitei-Kuki ethnic hostilities began. Salam Mani Singh has been living in a relief camp.

Saiton is about 55 km from the state capital Imphal, and falls along the Churachandpur and Bishnupur interdistrict border.

The two injured people were taken to Bishnupur district hospital.

The villagers from the Meitei community alleged members of the Kuki tribes planted the IEDs. They said they have gathered in protest against inaction despite repeated attacks, and asked the central forces to act immediately.

Manipur is under the President's Rule, which came into effect in February 2025. It was extended for six months after the first six months ended. Another extension, however, would need to meet certain constitutional conditions, one of which is the declaration of an emergency in the state.

The Churachandpur-based Kuki Zo Council (KZC), which represents the civilian side and also works closely with the Kuki insurgent groups under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, in a statement condemned what it called a "bombing incident carried out by unknown miscreants at Gamnomphai village... Churachandpur district..."

The KZC said the incidents happened in and around the district border, and called for respecting "the buffer zone". "Any violation of this neutral and sensitive area undermines the efforts of the security forces and escalates fear and mistrust among the general public," the KZC said.

The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) said the incident raises grave concerns about the prevailing security environment and the audacity of armed groups operating with impunity.

"The continued targeting of Meitei civilians is not only a humanitarian concern but also a direct challenge to the authority of the State and the credibility of security arrangements. The fact that such attacks are occurring despite the presence of Central and State Security Forces deeply erodes public confidence and raises serious questions about deterrence, intent, and accountability," the MHS said in a statement to the press.

"It must be noted that the Chin Kuki armed group and their frontal organizations are opposed to peaceful coexistence. Hence, they will make every attempt to drag the violence in their failed sinister attempt to break Manipur's territorial and administrative integrity," the MHS alleged.

Before the President's Rule came in February 2025, the then Manipur government had said there was no such thing as a "buffer zone", but there were "sensitive areas". The use of the word "buffer zone" is to mislead people and keep the pot boiling, the government had said.

On December 16, 2025, hundreds of people who had been living in relief camps in Manipur's valley areas for over two years returned to their village near the foothills in Bishnupur district. District officials accompanied them as they walked toward the structures they once called home - most of them dilapidated - and which they haven't seen since May 2023.

Some 24 hours into the effort to rebuild their lives, the villagers heard the sound of automatic gunfire coming from the hills. They had to leave again. The Border Security Force (BSF) fired back a few warning rounds in retaliation minutes after the sound of gunfire first came from the direction of the hills at 8.30 pm, sources said. No one was injured.

In connection with the indiscriminate firing by Kuki armed groups at Torbung last night, FIR has been registered for further investigation in this regard.
Security has been beefed up in and around the area, and joint security forces are carrying out intensive combing operations... pic.twitter.com/qldIbBUw0b

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) December 17, 2025

The Manipur Police in a statement had said it was "indiscriminate firing by Kuki armed groups."