At about 1 am on 7 April 2026 a bomb or projectile hit a house in Moirang Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, Manipur, killing a 5-year-old boy and his baby sister. Later that day a crowd of about 500 tried to force its way into a CRPF camp at Gelmol, and security forces opened fire, killing three protesters. Protests spread across the Imphal valley for weeks. The NIA took over the bombing case and made its first arrest in August; no inquiry into the camp firing has been reported.
Key takeaways
- At about 1 am on 7 April 2026 a bomb or projectile hit a house in Moirang Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, Manipur, killing a 5-year-old boy and his infant sister and injuring their mother.
- Residents of Tronglaobi blamed suspected Kuki militants for the 7 April 2026 attack, while the Kuki body ITLF said such incidents should not be "automatically attributed to the Kuki-Zo people without proper investigation".
- Security forces opened fire on a crowd at the CRPF camp in Gelmol, Manipur, on 7 April 2026, killing three protesters, Huidrom Michael, Laishram Jiten and Wahengbam Boby, and injuring about 30.
- Manipur police said the crowd of about 500 at the Gelmol CRPF camp tried to force its way in and burned vehicles before forces fired, while protesters accused security forces of failing to prevent the attack on the children.
- Manipur suspended mobile data, broadband, VSAT and VPN services in five Imphal valley districts from 7 April 2026, and a COCOMI march towards the Chief Minister's residence on 25 April was stopped about 2 km away with tear gas, injuring 22 to 30 people.
- The NIA re-registered the Tronglaobi bombing case on 23 April 2026 under the UAPA and other laws and made its first arrest in August 2026, without publicly naming the accused.
- No judicial inquiry into the three deaths at the Gelmol CRPF camp had been ordered as of October 2026, and the Manipur government said such an inquiry needed further discussion.
Background
Ethnic conflict between Manipur's Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities began in May 2023. At least 260 people have been killed and more than 59,000 displaced since then Scroll.
The April attack came after about a year of relative calm in the valley under President's Rule Wikipedia. A BJP-led government under Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had taken office in February 2026 The Wire.
The attack on the house
Documented At about 1 am on 7 April a bomb or projectile hit a house in Moirang Tronglaobi while a mother and her two children were asleep. A 5-year-old boy and his sister, aged five or six months by different reports, were killed. Their mother was injured WION.
Chief Minister Khemchand Singh called it a "barbaric act" and said those responsible would be punished WION.
Who was blamed. Claim · Residents Residents said the projectile came from nearby hill slopes and blamed suspected Kuki militants. Claim · ITLF The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum, a Kuki body, said incidents affecting the Meitei community "should not be automatically attributed to the Kuki-Zo people without proper investigation" Scroll. An early probe reported by the Indian Express found the projectile was fired from close range and pointed to "local elements" Wikipedia, citing Indian Express.
How the protest turned deadly
By daytime, youths and women gathered near the CRPF camp at Gelmol, a few hundred metres from the house. Their grievance was that security forces had failed to stop the attack The Federal/PTI.
Blast at Tronglaobi
Two children killed and their mother injured in their bedroom WION.
Crowd at Gelmol CRPF camp
Claim · Police An estimated 500-strong crowd tried to force its way into the camp and began burning security force vehicles. "As the mob tried to force its way into the camp, security forces opened fire" The Federal/PTI. Eyewitnesses said barracks and vehicles inside the camp were damaged NE Now.
Three protesters shot dead
Huidrom Michael (40), Laishram Jiten (41) and Wahengbam Boby (29) were killed; Boby died later in the RIMS ICU. About 30 people were injured NE Now. Early reports said two dead, and the toll was revised the next day The Quint.
Arson and blockades
Two oil tankers and a truck were set on fire near a petrol pump, and tyres were burned outside Moirang police station WION. Roads were blocked in Imphal at Checkon, Keishamthong, Kwakeithel, Singjamei and Khurai.
Internet cut
Mobile data, broadband, VSAT and VPN services were suspended for three days in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur NE Now.
Torch rally towards CM's residence
Thousands defied prohibitory orders in a torch rally led by the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation towards the CM's residence, police headquarters and Lok Bhavan. Security forces used tear gas and lathi charges, and several people were injured Scroll.
COCOMI march stopped
Thousands marched from four directions towards the Chief Minister's residence at Babupara. They were stopped about 2 km away at Khurai Lamlong and other points with barricades and tear gas. At least 22 were hospitalised Logical Indian; EastMojo put the injured at about 30 EastMojo.
No report reviewed here found that protesters breached the CM's residence. The marches were halted at barricades.
Both accounts of the camp firing
Protesters' account
Protesters accused security forces of failing to prevent the attack and alleged that armed groups operated from nearby areas NE Now. Citizens for Justice, Manipur, chaired by Khaidem Mani, demanded a judicial inquiry into the three deaths and asked the government to make the FIR public. It noted that an FIR was filed over the children's deaths but none appeared to have been filed over the protesters' deaths NE Now.
Police and government account
Police said the crowd tried to force entry into the camp and burned vehicles before forces fired The Federal/PTI. Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam first said two were killed and five injured after the mob stormed the camp The Hitavada. An unnamed official said "there are elements trying to take advantage of the prevailing situation" Scroll. No CRPF statement on the firing was found.
Who organised the protests
Meira Paibi women's groups led much of the street protest and called shutdowns Wikipedia. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) organised the 25 April rally. Its spokesperson N. Shanta listed seven demands, including scrapping the Suspension of Operations agreements with Kuki armed groups and action on recent killings EastMojo. A joint action committee negotiated with the government at the CM's residence, without a final agreement at first Scroll.
The family refused to accept the children's bodies until the attackers were arrested. On 25 April the CM said the state was "deeply pained that the bodies of the two children are in the morgue" and appealed to them. The government called a judicial inquiry into the Gelmol firing a matter that needs further discussion ETV Bharat.
On the political side, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate criticised the Prime Minister for not visiting the state The Wire. Home Minister Konthoujam said resettlement of displaced people had been delayed partly because 87 central force companies were moved out for elections in other states ETV Bharat.
The investigation
The state handed the bombing to the National Investigation Agency, which re-registered it on 23 April 2026 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act UNI. On 8 April Manipur Police had arrested three suspected United Kuki National Army members in Churachandpur and seized weapons. Reports did not say whether they were linked to the blast Republic.
The children were cremated around 2 May at Lamthaboong in Bishnupur district, after nearly a month in the RIMS mortuary EastMojo. In August 2026 the NIA made its first arrest in the case. The accused was not named publicly Republic.
Fact-checks
False A 2023 video of a house blast in Churachandpur was shared in late July 2026 as the Indian Army bombing homes BOOM.
Outcome
- Deaths: 2 children in the blast; 3 protesters in security force firing at Gelmol.
- Injuries: About 30 at the camp; 22 to 30 in the 25 April march; several more in the mid-April torch rally.
- Bombing probe: NIA case RC-04/2026/NIA/IMP; one arrest in August 2026.
- Firing probe: No judicial inquiry ordered and no FIR on the three deaths reported.
- Internet: Cut in five valley districts from 7 April.
- Arrests of protesters: 21 people held for violence during a protest march, reported 20 April Wikipedia, citing PTI.
What is still pending
The NIA has not publicly named the attackers or the group behind the blast. There is no public account from the CRPF of why its personnel fired, and the demand for a judicial inquiry into the Gelmol deaths is unresolved. Death and injury counts for the protests differ between sources, and no official consolidated figure has been published.
Questions people ask
What happened in Tronglaobi, Manipur?
On 7 April 2026 a bomb or projectile hit a house in Moirang Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, killing a 5-year-old boy and his infant sister while they slept. Their mother was injured.
Who was behind the Tronglaobi bombing?
Residents blamed suspected Kuki militants, and the Kuki body ITLF rejected automatic blame. The NIA is investigating and made one arrest in August 2026 but has not publicly named those responsible.
How many protesters were killed in Manipur in April 2026?
Three protesters were killed when security forces fired at a crowd at the CRPF camp in Gelmol on 7 April: Huidrom Michael, Laishram Jiten and Wahengbam Boby. About 30 were injured.
Did protesters storm the Manipur CM's residence?
The reports reviewed show marches towards the residence were stopped at barricades. On 25 April the COCOMI march was halted about 2 km away with tear gas, and 22 to 30 people were injured.
Is there an inquiry into the CRPF firing?
Not as of October 2026. Civil groups and COCOMI demanded a judicial inquiry, and the government said it needed further discussion.
Sources
- WION: Two children killed in bomb attack while sleeping, 7 Apr 2026
- Scroll: Clashes erupt during agitation over children's deaths, 17 Apr 2026
- The Federal/PTI: Manipur death toll in security forces' firing rises to three, 8 Apr 2026
- NE Now: Three killed in CRPF firing, internet suspended in five districts, Apr 2026
- NE Now: CFJM seeks judicial inquiry into CRPF firing deaths, Apr 2026
- The Quint: Four dead in Manipur bomb attack and protest violence, 7 Apr 2026
- The Hitavada: 2 children killed in bomb attack in Bishnupur, 8 Apr 2026
- The Wire: Manipur erupts again, 19 Apr 2026
- Wikipedia: 2026 Manipur bombing (citing Indian Express, The Hindu, PTI), accessed 9 Oct 2026
- The Logical Indian: CM residence march foiled, 22 injured, 26 Apr 2026
- EastMojo: Tensions escalate during COCOMI rally, 30 injured, 25 Apr 2026
- ETV Bharat: CM appeals to family to accept bodies, 25 Apr 2026
- EastMojo: Tronglaobi blast victims laid to rest after nearly a month, 2 May 2026
- UNI: NIA arrests accused in killing of two kids in Manipur, 12 Aug 2026
- Republic: NIA makes first arrest in Tronglaobi IED attack, 13 Aug 2026
- BOOM: 2023 house-blast video falsely linked to Indian Army, 30 Jul 2026