He rushed out to see what had happened and realised it was a “rocket bomb attack”.

Earlier in the day on 6 September, a similar rocket had landed in Bishnupur’s Tronglaobi village—on the bathroom of a house. It damaged the house, but no one was killed or injured.

This time, it was different.

Kelvin looked around and found the priest, R.K. Rabei, lying still on the ground, his head oozing blood. Five others, including his sister, looked injured.

“I went numb. For a while, I did not realise what had happened. Then I saw that a huge rocket filled with explosives had landed just metres away from the compound—where the priest and 10 members of my family had been preparing for a religious ceremony. I rushed my sister to the hospital,” he told ThePrint.

The holes in the tin shed in the compound of the house of the late CM Mairembam Koireng Singh, showed that as the rocket bomb fell, its splinters went in several directions, killing the priest on the spot. The rocket also created a gaping pit where it landed because of its weight—close to 24 kilograms.

It was the first time that an attack in the ongoing violence in Manipur had used such a heavy, rocket-like explosive. This explosive is a significant advancement over the previously used ‘pampi gun’ made of a steel pipe with a rope attached to it—which lacked range.

A similar rocket had landed in a paddy field in the area on 24 August but did not blast. Sources said the length of that rocket was around 9 feet, and it weighed about 25 kg.

The incident, sources in the security establishment said, marked a significant escalation between the Kuki and Meitei communities that have been embroiled in a violent conflict in Manipur.

Although crude, the rocket bomb that killed the priest was “potent” and could have caused much more damage, sources said.

The attack was the third by bombs or bomb-like objects since 1 September this year after nearly a four-month lull in the Manipur conflict.

Over the past two weeks, eleven people have been killed in the violence in Manipur and several others have been injured.

Sources said they suspect someone fired the rocket bomb from the hills. It was an “unprovoked attack”.

Speaking to ThePrint, Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum (ITLF) leader Ginza Vualzong said that Kukis do not have such sophisticated rockets and have been using only ‘pampi guns’ for their self-defence.

“So far, we are not sure who fired the so-called rocket. Kukis do not have rockets, but we do have indigenous ‘pampi’, which is not a military-grade rocket. It is made from a steel pipe and is not accurately on target. It’s locally made for defending our village,” he said.

“Moreover, Moirang is far from the boundary of the Kuki villages. No one has a ‘pampi’ whose fire reaches that far…. Trying to make us look bad,” he said.