Fresh Aggression in Manipur: Rocket Attack Kills Two Children in Tronglaobi; 7-Year-Old Found Dead Near Relief Camp

Bishnupur/Imphal: Fresh violence has once again shaken Manipur after suspected Kuki militants launched a rocket attack on a civilian house in Moirang Tronglaobi village of Bishnupur district, killing two children and triggering panic in the conflict-prone region. According to local sources, the projectile struck a residential house in Tronglaobi village, causing a powerful explosion that instantly claimed the lives of two young children. The blast damaged the house and left nearby residents in shock as villagers rushed to rescue those inside.

Tronglaobi village lies in the peripheral belt of Bishnupur district close to the elevated hill areas of Churachandpur district. The locality has long been considered vulnerable because of its proximity to hill positions reportedly occupied by armed Kuki groups. Residents reported that rockets fired from surrounding hill slopes have landed inside the village, indicating that the firing positions are located at a distance of more than three kilometres.

Security forces have placed the area on high alert following the attack, with additional deployments rushed to the sensitive belt to prevent further escalation. Authorities are also conducting surveillance and search operations in nearby hill areas while monitoring other vulnerable villages located along the hill-valley boundary.

Meanwhile, another disturbing incident has intensified public concern over safety in the state. On the evening of April 6, a seven-year-old girl who had been reported missing from the Akhampat relief camp was found dead in a nearby area under suspicious circumstances.

The child belonged to a family internally displaced from Moreh and currently staying at the camp. Preliminary reports suggest that the minor may have been sexually assaulted before being killed, though officials said a post-mortem examination would confirm the exact cause of death.

Police have taken one suspect into custody for questioning. The individual is reportedly a resident of the same relief camp.

The twin incidents — the rocket attack that killed two children and the suspected rape and murder of the young girl — have triggered widespread grief and outrage across the state. Civil society organisations and community leaders have strongly condemned the violence and demanded swift justice as well as stronger protection for vulnerable civilians, particularly displaced families living in relief camps.

Authorities said investigations into both incidents are underway while security forces remain on heightened alert in sensitive areas. Residents in several peripheral villages continue to live under fear of further attacks from surrounding hill positions.