Kolkata: The death of two innocent children in a bomb attack in Manipur has opened up the old wound from which the state has started to heal slowly. With the curfew imposed in some districts and protests against the attack erupting in the valley districts, the familiar scenes of unrest started to haunt the state.
The Manipuri community living in Kolkata has not only condemned the dastardly act but demanded strong punitive action against the perpetrators.
The siblings – a five-year-old and his five-month-old sister – were sleeping with their mother when a bomb exploded through the room, killing the two. The mother, who also sustained serious injuries, is being treated in the hospital. The incident happened in the wee hours of Tuesday in Tronglaobi, a Meitei-inhabited area close to Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated district.
"What was the fault of the two innocent children that they had to be killed? They were sleeping in their mother's arms and inside their home. We thought peace was slowly returning to the state. This attack seems to be the handiwork of a section that wants to keep Manipur boiling until the state is torn apart. We strongly condemn this cruel and uncivilised attack," said Rojit Keisham, general secretary, Manipuri in Kolkata (MIK), a community organisation.
The two children belong to the Meitei community and their father is a soldier with a paramilitary force. Reports so far have found that the explosive was fired from a rocket launcher, suggesting the involvement of groups that have such weapons.
While the investigating agencies are yet to establish the perpetrators responsible and the motive behind the attack, MIK alleged the hands of armed Kuki militants. Various Kuki organisations have also refuted the charges.
"While appealing to both the state and central govt to intensify the efforts to reinstate peace, we also appeal to the govt to hunt down those trying to disrupt the peace process and take action," said Keisham.