Priest killed in rebel rocket attack on 1st Manipur CM's home

GUWAHATI: After back-to-back drone strikes, Manipur was jolted Friday by suspected tribal militants carrying out the first reported rocket attacks in the state, one of which killed a 70-year-old priest and wounded five people in a Bishnupur house belonging to the family of the state's first CM, Mairembam Koireng Singh.
The deceased, RK Rabei of Moirang Pheewangbam Leikai, was preparing for a religious ceremony in the house when he was fatally struck by splinters from the crude rocket that landed on the roof, sources said.
Koireng Singh's kin live barely 100 metres from the erstwhile Indian National Army's headquarters, where Lt Col Shaukat Ali hoisted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil on April 14, 1944.
Rocket attacks spark unrest in Imphal valley
Those wounded in the attack include a 13-year-old girl, Sherina Mairenbam. The other four are Konjenbam Jugendro, Rajeev alias Bobo, Salam Nanao, and Ngangom Ibobi.
Two more rockets landed at the nearby Tronglaobi locality earlier in the day, damaging two houses. "These rockets were fired from nearby hilltops in the direction of the residential locality of Tronglaobi, located around 45km from Imphal," a security official said.
The rocket attacks triggered unrest in the valley districts, with the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity declaring a "public emergency".
Blaming the BJP-led state govt for civilians coming under attack, the organisation demanded that all schools, colleges and other educational institutions be shut indefinitely till the authorities got a grip on law and order.
Thousands of protesters across five districts of the Imphal valley formed human chains to protest the drone, gun and rocket attacks over the past few days.
School and college students and women from various localities marched on the streets of Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East, Bishnupur and Kakching districts.
Protesters held placards with messages like "Drone bombing is an act of terrorism" and "We condemn Manipur govt's timidity".
Drones deployed by militants dropped explosives in Imphal East and Imphal West districts between Sept 1 and 2, with one of these attacks destroying three India Reserve Battalion barracks.
Central and state forces have sought NSG's expertise to deal with the aerial attacks.