Schools in the restive northeastern state of Manipur, India have been ordered shut following a rocket attack that claimed the life of a 78-year-old man and left six others wounded.
According to the AFP, the state government issued the closure order for all schools on Saturday, citing concerns for the “safety of students and teachers.”
The attack, which occurred in the Bishnupur district, was attributed to “Kuki militants” by local police. According to a police statement, “officers responding to the attack were fired upon by suspected Kuki militants, but the police team retaliated robustly and repelled the attack.”
The elderly man, identified as a resident of the late Mairenbam Koireng Singh’s home—former chief minister of Manipur—was killed when a rocket struck the residence. Local reports indicated the rockets were “improvised projectiles” crafted using galvanized iron pipes attached to explosives.
This attack comes just days after insurgents used drones to drop explosives in what authorities described as an alarming escalation of violence.
A 31-year-old woman was killed in that earlier incident, and six others were injured. Police labeled it an “unprecedented attack” in the ongoing conflict.
The violence in Manipur, which began over a year ago, stems from longstanding ethnic tensions between the predominantly Hindu Meitei and the mostly Christian Kuki communities.
These tensions are driven by competition over land and public employment, with some rights groups accusing political leaders of fueling the divisions for their own gain.
The conflict has divided once-cohabiting communities, and efforts to resolve the crisis have so far been unsuccessful.
