Imphal: The death toll in Tuesday’s CRPF firing at Gelmol rose to three on Wednesday after 29-year-old Wahengbam Bobby of Bishnupur district died in hospital, even as fresh protests demanding the resignation of Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and home minister Konthoujam Govindas erupted in Imphal East.The protests intensified the political crisis triggered by the killing of two children in a bomb attack by unidentified men at Tronglaobi early Tuesday morning.Demonstrators under the banner of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) gathered in Wangkhei, accusing the leadership of moral failure. Police fired teargas shells to disperse the crowd, which had assembled despite prohibitory orders.Bobby’s family described him as an innocent civilian who had joined protests in shock after hearing of the children’s deaths.Earlier in the day, Khemchand chaired a unified command meeting at the secretariat to review the volatile law and order situation with top officials from the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB. “The govt remains firmly committed to safeguarding lives and upholding law and order,” the CM said.Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Kh Ibomcha said three cadres of the United Kuki National Army, a non-SoO group, were arrested in combing operations following the deadly blast. One AK-47 rifle and a pistol were reportedly seized, though official confirmation of their involvement in the attack is awaited. The UKNA has denied any role in the incident.At a press conference at Durbar Hall in the CM secretariat, Ibomcha said the govt under Khemchand’s leadership was making all efforts to arrest, “dead or alive”, those involved in the attack that killed the two children.The Manipur govt on Wednesday lifted the suspension of broadband internet services in five districts, imposed after Tuesday’s violence. The killings of the children and the rising toll from the subsequent firing have sharply escalated public anger and pressure on the state leadership.
