When a five-year-old boy and his five-month-old sister were killed by a rocket fired at their home in Bishnupur, Manipur responded by suspending internet across five districts. It was the state’s second shutdown of 2026 and its ~50th since 2023, and its clearest argument yet that Instagram was the primary cause of the violence.
On April 7, 2026, suspected militants fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a sleeping family’s home in Tronglaobi, Moirang, Bishnupur district, killing a five-year-old boy and his five-month-old sister and injuring their mother. Protests erupted: crowds attempted to storm a CRPF camp and set oil tankers ablaze; security forces opened fire, adding at least two more deaths to the day. Manipur’s government responded with its now-practised governance tool: a three-day internet shutdown across Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur districts — to prevent ‘hate speech and videos inciting the public’ on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and X. This was the state’s second internet blackout of 2026, following 36 in 2023 and 11 in 2024. The rocket that killed the children was, authorities confirmed, not transmitted via WhatsApp.