Family accepts bodies of 2 children killed in Manipur blast after 25 days

FAmily members of 2 children who were killed in apr 7 bomb assail in Manipur’s Tronglaobi hamlet in Bishnupur territory accepted the mortal remains after 25 days on Saturday, officials said.The two minors, a five-year-old boy and his six-months old sister, were allegedly killed in a bomb attack while sleeping with their mother. The incident also injured their mother. The family had said they would not accept the bodies until those responsible were arrested.The bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institution of Medical Science (RIMS) in Imphal.A large number of people marched a procession from RIMS to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes.The bodies were buried at Lamthabung ground of Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnnupur.On April 25, chief minister Y Khemchand Singh appealed to the family to accept their bodies. “We are also in talks with the families of the deceased and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed in connection with the incident,” he said.In addition to JAC, government also assured to provide the father, who is serving in Border Security Force (BSF) a job in Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB) or Manipur Rifles with equivalent rank, and the mother, who is working as a nurse at All India Institute of Medical Science, Guwahati, an equivalent service in Manipur.Also Read: 2 killed in protests against boy, infant sister’s killing in ManipurSingh also said that efforts were underway by agencies to find the perpetrators.Government also launched a military crackdown in the suspected area around Tronglaobi village, Bishnupur and Churachandpur district, and handed over the case to National Investigation Agency (NIA).Five suspects of banned underground outfit United Kuki National Army (UKNA) have been arrested so far.A series of torch rallies by All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) and Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) have been going on across five districts of Manipur including Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching since April 11 to protest the bomb attack and demanding justice.Following the April 7 bomb attack, three protestors were killed during a CRPF firing in Gelmol village in Churachandpur, which is a Kuki-Zo-dominated district.The government citing a “volatile law and order situation” imposed a three-day suspension of internet service on April 7. While broadband services, specifically Internet Leased Line and Fiber to the Home connections, were conditionally restored on April 8, restrictions on mobile internet continued in phased manner. On April 18, the ban on internet services was lifted.Unrest in Manipur has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people since May 2023. It first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities and has since involved almost every group.