Woman loses leg in landmine blast at Kangpokpi
Source: The Sangai Express

Kangpokpi, November 10 2026: A woman lost her left leg in an alleged landmine blast while grazing cattle in Bazaghari village under Irang Part-II, Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, triggering fears among villagers over the presence of unexploded bombs or landmines in their grazing grounds.

The victim, identified as Durga Devi Bhattarai (41) is a mother of three.

She was reportedly grazing cattle in a nearby field between 10 am and 11.45 am when she accidentally stepped on a suspected explosive device concealed under the ground, triggering a powerful explosion.

Woman loses leg in landmine blast at Kangpokpi

She sustained critical injuries, resulting in the amputation of her left leg.

She was initially rushed to Kangpokpi Christian Hospital for emergency medical attention before being shifted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, for further treatment.

Her husband, Jeevan Bhattarai, secretary of Bazaghari village, said the explosion occurred while his wife was tending to their cattle in the village's surrounding fields.

The incident has raised serious concerns over the possible presence of more unexploded explosive devices in the area.

The explosion on Tuesday was reportedly the third in the locality in the last five days.

According to the victim's family, a cattle belonging to Amar Bahadur Basnet, another resident of Bazaghari village, died on Monday after coming into contact with a similar explosive device in the same area.

The villagers also reported hearing another explosion four to five days ago, suspected to have been triggered when a wild animal accidentally stepped on an explosive device.

The repeated incidents have plunged the village into fear, with residents apprehensive about entering their agricultural fields or taking livestock out for grazing.

The villagers have urged the authorities to immediately intervene, register a case and launch a thorough investigation to establish the nature and origin of the explosives.

They have also sought the urgent deployment of a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) to conduct a comprehensive search and sanitisation operation to detect and neutralise any remaining explosive devices before further casualties occur.

Meanwhile, Soshim (Simsim) Gurung, a social worker, visited the injured woman at RIMS Hospital, Imphal, and expressed concern over the incident.

The Manipur Gorkha Welfare Union (MGWU) strongly condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with the victim's family, pledging to stand with them in their pursuit of justice.

The Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills (CoTU), has also strongly condemned the alleged planting of landmines and explosive devices in civilian-populated areas of the Twilang region.

It has urged the Government of India and the Manipur Government to immediately deploy a bomb disposal squad to thoroughly inspect and sanitise the area.