“Is this their age to die?”: Mother speaks after losing minors in Bishnupur blast
Family hid children’s deaths as injured mother battled trauma, questions mount about civilian safety despite heavy security
Victim's mother Oinam Binita with her husband at Raj Medicity Hospital. (AT Photo)
Imphal, Apr 12: “Is this the age for them to sacrifice for the motherland? Until the perpetrators are brought to book, I will not be at peace.” The anguish in these words from Oinam Binita, who lost both her minor children in the Bishnupur mortar attack, now echoes far beyond her shattered home.
“Even when I called them, they did not respond… If I had died and my children survived, it would have been better,” she said, breaking down on her hospital bed at Raj Medicity Hospital, on Sunday.
Binita has been undergoing intensive treatment for the past four days and is reported to be recovering.
She was rushed to the medical facility after a suspected mortar attack in the early hours of April 7 killed her two children, a five-year-old boy and a five-month-old girl.
The incident occurred around 1 am at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai under Moirang Police Station, when a projectile, suspected to have been fired by militants, struck a residential area.
Security agencies at the site of the blast. (AT Photo)
Even as she mourns her children, Binita bears physical scars of the attack. Her husband, Oinam Mangalsana, a serving Border Security Force personnel, posted in Bihar at the time of the incident, shared X-ray images indicating fractures at multiple locations in her body, reportedly caused by splinters during the blast.
Raising concerns over the security presence in the area, she said, “What is the use of all the security forces stationed in my locality? We trusted they were there… My husband works in defence to safeguard the nation… I thought we too would be protected… but when I woke up, there was no one to guard my family.”
Beside her, the children’s grandmother, Oinam Loidam, sits with grief and unanswered questions. She said Binita’s condition remains critical, marked by repeated episodes of unconsciousness.
Victims' grandmother, Oinam Loidam (left). (AT Photo)
Loidam recounted how the family initially tried to shield Binita from the truth. “What will we say to her if she asks for her two children?” she said.
“She came to know only after she accidentally saw a newspaper… we told her they were under treatment… but we could not hide it forever,” Loidam added.
As protests intensify, demanding justice for the victims, the family’s account underscores the stark human cost of the violence, where loss is absolute and justice remains uncertain.
“I sacrificed my two children for the motherland… so I will agree with what the people decide…” Binita said, her voice breaking.