The attack, which killed her infant daughter and five-year-old son while they slept, also left the mother injured. Their father, a personnel of India’s Border Security Force deployed in Bihar, was away on duty when the incident occurred. He later recalled speaking to his infant daughter shortly before the attack, describing it as the final time he heard her voice.
The funeral, delayed for 25 days, was conducted only after the family received assurances of official action. The bodies had remained in a morgue as relatives demanded identification and punishment of those responsible.
The killings form part of the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki-Zo group. The conflict, which began in May 2023, has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced tens of thousands across the state.
Manipur’s social structure, long divided between the valley-dominant Meiteis and the hill-based Kuki-Zo and Naga communities, has further fractured following a controversial judicial observation in April 2023. A recommendation by the Manipur High Court to extend Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis triggered widespread fear among tribal groups over loss of constitutional protections. Although the Supreme Court later termed the observation factually incorrect, tensions escalated into sustained violence.
What began as a two-sided ethnic confrontation has now evolved into a multi-layered armed conflict involving multiple groups, civilian volunteers, and insurgent factions. Identification of perpetrators has become increasingly uncertain, with most official records listing attackers as “unknown miscreants” or broadly categorized militant groups.
In the April 7 incident, no responsible group has been identified in formal First Information Reports, which continue to describe the assailants in generic terms. This pattern is consistent across more than 12,000 cases registered between May 2023 and the end of 2025, covering killings, arson, abductions, and sexual violence. Despite the scale of cases, no convictions have been recorded.
Following the children’s deaths, protests erupted and a Central Reserve Police Force camp was attacked. Security personnel opened fire during the unrest, killing three individuals. Authorities later claimed that armed elements attempted to seize weapons under the guise of protest, though families of the deceased insist the victims were unarmed civilians.
The state administration subsequently transferred the investigation to the National Investigation Agency, while political leaders continued to face scrutiny over the deteriorating law and order situation.
Elsewhere in the state, violence has expanded across community lines. In Ukhrul district, a Naga volunteer was killed while patrolling his village, while FIRs attributed responsibility to Kuki-linked armed groups. In another incident, two Kuki-Zo labourers were killed following the abduction of Naga individuals, with allegations pointing toward insurgent networks including NSCN-IM.
Even security forces have been unable to attribute responsibility in many cases, with officials admitting that attackers remain unidentified due to overlapping identities between insurgents, village volunteers, and armed civilians.
The widespread circulation of weapons has further intensified instability. Thousands of arms looted from security installations in the early phase of the conflict remain unaccounted for, significantly altering the scale and nature of violence. Authorities acknowledge that both organized and unorganized armed actors now operate across the state.
Manipur’s 1,600-kilometre border with Myanmar has further complicated the security landscape, with porous terrain facilitating the movement of weapons through informal networks amid ongoing regional instability.
Despite increased powers granted under stringent security legislation, officials concede that the absence of clear operational direction has hampered efforts to restore order. More than 58,000 people continue to live in displacement camps, many of which have evolved into long-term settlements marked by inadequate access to healthcare, education, and livelihood opportunities.
Reports from relief camps indicate recurring incidents of violence, including assault and killings, while children raised in these environments face disrupted education and psychological trauma. Aid workers warn of increasing vulnerability among youth, including the risk of recruitment into armed groups amid prolonged exposure to conflict.
Former senior security officials have described the situation as a breakdown of institutional coordination and political direction, stating that security forces are unable to act decisively without unified governmental strategy. Analysts further argue that political considerations have hindered decisive intervention, prolonging the conflict.
As Manipur enters another year of unrest, the absence of accountability, continued circulation of weapons, and deepening ethnic divisions have left the state in a prolonged humanitarian and security crisis with no clear resolution in sight.
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