Rockets propelled by grenades (RPGs) were fired from drones in the western part of Imphal, the state capital, on Monday. The armed insurgents also fired on police officers.
The area is primarily inhabited by the Hindu Meitei community and is adjacent to villages inhabited by the Christian Kuki community.
One of the deceased was the mother of an 8-year-old girl. Among those injured were civilians, police officers, and journalists.
The state police suspect that the attack was carried out by Kuki insurgents and noted that skilled individuals may have provided technical support.
Manipur shares a border with Myanmar and is situated between Bangladesh and China, housing various ethnic groups.
In 2023, the Manipur High Court ruled to include the Meitei community as a Scheduled Tribe (ST), which provides benefits such as advantages in university admissions, civil service recruitment, and land purchases. Since then, there have been large-scale violent clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
