By The South Asia Times

IMPHAL, India - Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Manipur suspended internet and mobile data services across five districts on Tuesday after a suspected rocket attack killed two young children, triggering violent protests and fresh clashes between civilians and security forces.

The attack, which struck a house in the Moirang area of Bishnupur district around 1:00 AM local time, killed a five-year-old boy and a five-month-old girl. Their mother was injured. 

Hours later, enraged locals took to the streets, burning tires and oil tankers. A mob attempted to storm a nearby camp of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), prompting security personnel to fire rounds to disperse them. At least 19 people were injured, and one person was reported killed at the scene.

In response to the violence and to prevent the spread of inflammatory rumors, the Manipur government imposed a three-day suspension of mobile internet and data services in five districts, including the state capital Imphal. A curfew was also ordered in the Bishnupur district as situation is very tensed in the state.

In the hours following the attack, video footage on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) began circulating widely, alleging that the Indian Army had carried out a “massacre” of over 200 people, including women and children, however; there was no official verification of the claim as no Indian media outlet reported such incident and killing hundreds people.

The latest violence is an escalation of a brutal ethnic conflict that has torn Manipur apart since May 2023.

The state is divided between two main groups:

• The Meitei community, a Hindu-majority group that dominates the fertile Imphal Valley.

• The Kuki-Zo community, a Christian tribal group that lives in the surrounding hill districts.

The conflict was triggered by a court order granting the Meitei community certain economic benefits, which the Kuki-Zo community viewed as a threat to their land and identity. Since then, more than 260 people have been killed and over 60,000 have been displaced. The state remains effectively partitioned into ethnic enclaves, with the Indian Army deployed to maintain a fragile peace.

The two communities have irreconcilable demands:

• The Kuki-Zo community is demanding a separate Union Territory carved out of Manipur, arguing they can no longer coexist under the current Meitei-dominated state government. They have refused to participate in forming a new state government.

• The Meitei community insists on keeping Manipur united. 

With internet services cut and security forces on high alert, the region remains tense. The international community, focused on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, has largely remained silent on the crisis in this remote corner of South Asia where locals are fighting for independence from India.