Web Desk: Fresh unrest gripped India’s northeastern state of Manipur after a video circulated online showing separatist fighters entering and occupying an Assam Rifles camp, intensifying scrutiny of New Delhi’s handling of the region’s prolonged ethnic conflict.
The footage, widely shared on social media, appeared to show armed separatist members moving inside the paramilitary compound without resistance. Voices heard in the video criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, accusing the leadership of failing to restore order in the violence-hit state.
The development followed a deadly attack earlier this month in Bishnupur district’s Tronglaobi Awang Leikai area, where suspected Kuki militants allegedly launched a rocket bomb attack on a residential house during the night.
According to local reports, the strike killed two children a five-year-old boy and a six-month-old infant while their mother suffered critical injuries. The incident sparked outrage across the district, prompting hundreds of residents to protest near a nearby CRPF camp.
Witnesses said demonstrators set vehicles on fire during the protest, while security personnel later opened fire to disperse the crowd. At least five more people were killed and over 30 injured in the ensuing clashes, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, analysts and local observers said the alleged occupation of the Assam Rifles camp highlighted growing concerns over the effectiveness of Indian security forces in containing armed groups operating in the state.
Manipur has remained engulfed in ethnic violence since clashes erupted in 2023, displacing more than 60,000 people and forcing many families into relief camps segregated along community lines.
Local reports and rights groups say hundreds of homes and places of worship have been destroyed during the conflict, while more than 1,100 people have suffered injuries. Casualty estimates vary, with official figures reporting around 260 deaths, although some independent accounts suggest the toll may be significantly higher.
The unrest has also triggered repeated curfews and internet shutdowns, measures critics say have disrupted communication without addressing the root causes of the violence.
Human rights organizations and United Nations experts have repeatedly expressed concern over allegations of abuses linked to the conflict, including reports of forced displacement, destruction of civilian property and alleged extrajudicial killings.
In previous assessments, Human Rights Watch documented allegations involving so-called “encounter killings” and excessive use of force by security personnel, while U.N. experts warned that continued instability and communal violence posed serious risks to civilians.
Critics of the government say the crisis has exposed deeper governance and security failures in India’s northeast, where armed groups, ethnic divisions and militarisation have fueled persistent instability for years.
Despite repeated security deployments and investigations by Indian agencies, tensions continue to simmer across Manipur, with residents reporting ongoing fear, displacement and uncertainty over when normal life might return.
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