BISHNUPUR, MANIPUR — A heavy silence has fallen over the Imphal Valley as the Manipur government enforced a total internet shutdown across five districts on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. The blackout, affecting Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur, was implemented following a horrific pre-dawn rocket attack that claimed the lives of two young children and left their mother critically injured.
The tragedy unfolded around 1:00 a.m. local time in the village of Moirang Tronglaobi Awang Leikai. While the family was asleep, a high-explosive projectile—suspected to be a long-range rocket—crashed through the bedroom window of a residence belonging to a Border Security Force (BSF) personnel currently posted outside the state.
The tragedy claimed the lives of a five-month-old baby girl and her five-year-old brother, who were killed instantly when the blast tore through their home. Their mother, Oinam Binita—a nurse home on maternity leave—sustained severe splinter wounds and remains in critical condition at a trauma center in Imphal.
Neighbors described the moment of impact as a "deafening roar" that was immediately followed by a suffocating cloud of smoke and debris. The horror of the event intensified later that morning when security forces discovered a second, unexploded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) just meters from the site, pointing toward a chillingly coordinated attempt at further devastation.
As news of the children's deaths spread, the region erupted in grief-fueled fury, with protesters flooding the streets of Bishnupur and Imphal. Demonstrators blocked key transit routes, including the Tiddim Road, by setting fire to tires as a sign of resistance. The unrest quickly escalated in several locations, where enraged mobs targeted commercial vehicles, reportedly setting ablaze a truck and two oil tankers.
Security forces have been placed on high alert, with additional deployments rushed to the "buffer zones" between the valley and the surrounding hills. Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh condemned the strike as an "outright assault on humanity," vowing that those responsible for the "barbaric act" would be hunted down and brought to justice.
The three-day internet suspension aims to curb the spread of inflammatory content and prevent the mobilization of armed groups, but it has also severed vital communication lines for millions.
This incident marks a grim escalation in the protracted ethnic conflict that has gripped Manipur since 2023. The village of Tronglaobi, situated precariously along the hill-valley boundary, has become a recurring flashpoint for long-range weaponry.
As forensic teams sift through the rubble of a nursery turned into a wreckage site, the state remains on a knife-edge. For the families in the blackout zone, the "darkness" is not just digital; it is the somber weight of a conflict that continues to claim its most innocent victims in their sleep.