A BSF Soldier’s Children Slaughtered at Home by Kuki Militants in Manipur

The two innocent souls never asked to be born into Manipur’s unending nightmare. Five-year-old Oinam Tomthin and his baby sister, Oinam Yaisana, barely five months old, were sleeping peacefully beside their mother, Oinam Binita, in their modest home at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai, in Bishnupur district, in the early hours of the morning. 

At around 1:30 a.m., an RPG fired by suspected Kuki militants slammed into the house. The explosion ripped through the bedroom, killing both children instantly and critically injuring their mother, who now fights for her life in the ICU of a private hospital.

Oinam Binita, a nurse working in Guwahati, had returned home just a few days earlier. She came specifically for the Chakumba — the sacred weaning ceremony for little Yaisana, a joyful family ritual marking the baby’s first taste of solid food. 

Little Tomthin and Yaisana did not choose sides. They only wanted the warmth of their mother and the simple joys of childhood. Instead, they became the latest symbols of a state that has repeatedly failed to safeguard its most vulnerable citizens.

Instead of celebration, the family now prepares for funerals. Their father, Oinam Mangalngamba, a Head Constable in the Border Security Force posted in Bihar, is rushing back to Manipur today, racing against time and overwhelming grief to reach the place where his children were slaughtered in their beds while he was serving the nation far away.

This is not mere tragedy. This is the ultimate betrayal.A man who wears the uniform of the Central Armed Police Forces, risking his life daily for the nation’s security on the borders, could not protect his own family because the state failed to protect its civilians. 

While Mangalngamba stands guard for India elsewhere, militants crossed lines with heavy weaponry and struck a soft civilian target deep in the valley. Two more live RPGs were later recovered near Meitei settlements — clear evidence that this was not a random act of rage but part of a planned campaign of terror.

For almost three years, Manipur has bled from relentless ethnic violence. Meitei civilians, particularly in vulnerable border villages, have faced repeated targeted attacks — drones dropping explosives, ambushes, village burnings, and now direct rocket strikes on sleeping families. 

The Jiribam massacres, where children and innocents were mercilessly killed, remain fresh scars. Each incident follows a grim pattern where sophisticated weapons in the hands of Kuki militant groups, many linked to outfits that once operated under Suspension of Operations agreements, striking at women and children while the security apparatus struggles to respond effectively.

Despite foreign nationals are seen giving ammunition and trainings to the Kuki groups in Myanmar, government always stay far away saying these are not a threat to internal security. 

This is not a simple “communal clash” between two equal sides fighting over land or resources. It is asymmetric warfare against civilians. One side possesses advanced arms, cross-border supply routes fueled by Myanmar’s instability, and a narrative that justifies targeting entire communities. 

The other side — ordinary Meitei families like the Oinam Binita and her childrens— depends entirely on the Indian state for protection. When that protection repeatedly fails, the sense of abandonment turns into despair and anger. Press releases and condemnation flows like clockwork now. 

The cycle is grotesque: attack → outrage → condemnation → NIA handed the case → slow probe → another attack while "talks" happen in air-conditioned rooms. Families bury their dead, light candles, band and blockades, post mourning on social media. Militants regroup, rearm, strike again when the spotlight dims.

The response from those in power has become painfully predictable and hollow. The Governor of Manipur Ajay Kumar Bhalla has expressed deep anguish over the tragic incident, describing such acts of violence against civilians as deeply distressing and unacceptable. He has called the loss of young lives a profound tragedy that has shaken everyone and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. 

He stated that the State Government is committed to bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with the law and that all necessary steps are being taken. 

The present Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand also visited the hospital, described the attack as “barbaric,” promised the best medical care for the injured mother, and vowed that the perpetrators would be hunted down. 

The State Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam has issued a strong condemnation, stating that such brutality would not be tolerated and that the case was under active investigation. 

Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh too expressed his deep pain and called for better vigilance on the ground. Hundreds of similar press releases, statements, and tweets have been issued since violence erupted in 2023. 

Yet the attacks continue, and justice remains elusive. Mere condemnations and handing cases to the NIA have lost all meaning. They have become a ritual that changes nothing on the ground. 

While officials speak of peace talks and dialogue in distant rooms, militants operate with growing impunity, emboldened by the perception that the system is either too weak or too calculating to act decisively. This breeds a dangerous belief among Meitei civilians that they have been left with no option but to defend themselves.

Decisive action is long overdue. The endless cycle of statements and high-level reviews has achieved nothing except deepening public cynicism. Manipur desperately needs concrete, measurable steps rather than more performative politics.The networks behind these attacks must be neutralized without delay. Security forces should identify and dismantle militant camps, supply lines, and leadership responsible for targeting civilians. 

A comprehensive security overhaul is equally essential. There must be adequate, unbiased deployment of forces with clear rules of engagement focused on protecting every civilian life, regardless of community. 

Accountability must move beyond empty slogans. Investigations need to be fast-tracked, with regular public updates on arrests, progress, and convictions. Handing cases to the NIA should not become a convenient way to bury them in endless files. 

Visible justice is the bare minimum required to begin restoring any faith in the system. All forms of political patronage — whether overt or covert — extended to armed groups must end immediately.

Dialogue, if it is to succeed, must be backed by strength and the rule of law. Peace talks can only yield results when conducted from a position of clear ground dominance. 

Oinam Mangalngamba, a dedicated BSF Head Constable posted in Bihar, is now rushing home today to confront the unimaginable — the cold reality that his two young children were murdered while he was away on duty. His wife, Oinam Binita, who had returned from Guwahati for a simple family ritual, now lies wounded in the ICU. 

This is the ultimate betrayal — not just of one family, but of every citizen who believes the Indian state exists to protect them equally. While a soldier stands guard on distant borders, his own home lies exposed. While a mother returns for a sacred family ritual, she returns to rockets instead of rice.

Forgive and forget? When is the time ripe? After how many infant corpses? After how many mothers scarred for life? Peace cannot be built on selective amnesia while one community feels hunted in its ancestral valley. 

Forgive and forget cannot be demanded when fresh graves are still being dug and mothers lie wounded in hospital beds. Promises ring hollow after three years of unbroken violence. 

"When time for forget and forgive is not ripe" — it never will be if justice remains performative. Promise isn't enough. 

This mockery of the system—tables laid for "dialogue," chairs for committees, while RPGs fly—is particularly galling in a democracy. In no other Indian state do two communities exchange rockets and bombs on civilian settlements with such regularity while the Centre watches. Delhi's silence or calibrated responses hasn't stemmed the tide so far. 

The time for decisive, uncompromising action has arrived. The Government of India and the Manipur Government must dismantle the infrastructure of terror, enforce accountability without bias, and restore the rule of law for all.