A police operation at Tulihal Airport that led to the arrest of a man and the seizure of more than 6.7 kilograms of suspected brown sugar set off a chain of events that left parts of Manipur tense and reporters trapped amid clashes. Acting on information from the detained man, security forces moved to search for hidden arms in the Kwakta area of Bishnupur district. Rumours about the operation spread quickly, a situation made worse by frequent internet shutdowns, and by mid‑afternoon a convoy near Thinungel in Bishnupur was surrounded by local residents. Two security‑linked vehicles were damaged and later set on fire, and the follow‑up search operation turned into violent confrontations that rippled across the region.
We met Keny at the DIPR office in Imphal and visited relief camps that morning. On the surface the city looked functional-vehicles on the road, some offices open-but a quiet, negotiated normalcy masked deep unease. Displaced families waited without timelines; children played in cramped spaces while adults moved and spoke cautiously. For our reporting, we also travelled to Churachandpur, but an invisible boundary between the valley and the hills became very real: Keny could not cross, while others, including our driver Rahman da, went ahead. That split would matter later.
As rumours spread-some claiming a Kuki passenger was inside a security vehicle, others questioning the identity of personnel-suspicion replaced factual information. In Bishnupur a roadside gathering quickly became a blockade. Attempts to detain or stop personnel escalated into arson and chaos, turning a buffer zone into a flashpoint. By the time we reached Churachandpur in the evening, locals urged us to leave for safety; the only route back to Imphal ran through the increasingly volatile Bishnupur area.
On the return, security deployments multiplied, shops were shut, and the air carried the smell of burning and chemical irritants from tear gas. Forces stopped us and warned that continuing was at our own risk; after negotiating we were allowed to proceed. Soon we were inside the conflict zone: gunfire and tear gas surrounded us, tear gas seeped into our vehicle, and something sharp flashed close to my ear. Abhijit ducked under the seat while I kept recording. Repeated checkpoints demanded we prove we were press; flashing our press tags gradually eased suspicion and allowed movement.
We reached Imphal shaken; the vehicle bore visible marks and residue from the journey. What felt extraordinary to us is, for many people in Manipur, an ordinary part of daily life: movement weighed down by risk, uncertainty accepted as routine, and survival navigated one tense day at a time. With Abhijit Laskar, Hrijoy Das Kanungo, filing from Guwahati
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/manipur/story/between-bullets-and-barricades-in-manipur-how-we-survived-a-crossfire-1385050-2026-05-02?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-05-02 22:57:00
