Security Forces Bolster Presence in Manipur's Bishnupur After Late-Night Gunfire Raises Alarm

The administration intensified security deployments throughout Bishnupur district in Manipur on Wednesday following a gunfire incident the previous night that reignited fears in the ethnically sensitive area, according to officials.

Unidentified gunmen discharged several rounds near Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai villages—located along the border with Churachandpur district—around 9 pm on Tuesday, December 16. While no casualties were reported in the episode, it prompted widespread concern.

Officials described the district's atmosphere as tense yet stable, with no additional shooting incidents noted afterwards. "As a preventive step, we have strengthened patrols and postings in vulnerable border zones. Probes are underway, but no detentions have occurred yet," remarked a high-ranking police source.

These villages are particularly volatile, having been among the initial sites of fierce ethnic confrontations between Meitei and Kuki communities that began on May 3, 2023.

The latest gunfire has led to renewed displacement, with numerous locals—primarily women and children—who had only recently resettled in areas around Phougakchao Ikhai after almost two years away, compelled to evacuate once more and find temporary refuge elsewhere.

The shooting coincided closely with a visit by Manipur Director General of Police Rajiv Singh to neighbouring Churachandpur, where he conducted an extensive security assessment meeting with top officials to evaluate readiness and the overall law-and-order scenario.

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