Imphal: The probe into the twin blasts in Manipur’s Bishnupur district has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), officials said on Tuesday.
Two people were injured in the back-to-back explosions in Ngaukon village under the Phougakchao police station area on Monday morning. The first blast, suspected to have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), occurred around 5.45 am at an abandoned house, while a second explosion followed nearly 200 metres away at about 8.45 am when locals gathered after hearing about the earlier incident.
“The case has been forwarded to the National Investigation Agency for further investigation,” the state police said in a statement.
Police said combing and search operations are underway in the adjoining areas, while security has been tightened to prevent any further escalation of violence. Efforts are also ongoing to identify and apprehend those responsible for the explosions.
The incident has further heightened tensions in the violence-hit state, where more than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since ethnic clashes erupted in May 2023.
The house where the first blast occurred has remained abandoned since the outbreak of ethnic violence, with the owner and his family currently residing in a relief camp.
Several organisations, including the Indigenous People Organisation and the All Manipur Students’ Union, have called for a 24-hour statewide shutdown beginning at midnight on Wednesday to protest the blasts.
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Meanwhile, the Meitei civil body Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has demanded an immediate, transparent and time-bound investigation into the incident.
Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February 2025, following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh amid criticism of his government’s handling of the ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities.
