Manipur violence: Photos show 2 missing students killed, government assures action

mangaloretoday.com

Kolkata, Sep 26, 2023: Pictures of two Manipuri students, who were reported missing since July 6, have surfaced on social media. The photos appear to be before and after they were killed.

One of the pictures showed the two students sitting on a grassy compound while two armed men can be seen behind them. In another picture, circulating on social media, the bodies of the two students can be seen.

 

The students were identified as 17-year-old Hijam Linthoingambi and 20-year-old Phijam Hemjit.

After the pictures surfaced online, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh assured the people that swift and decisive action would be taken against all those involved in the kidnapping and killing of the students.

“It has come to the notice of the state government that the photos of two students, Phijam Hemjit, 20, and Hijam Linthoingambi, 17, who have been missing since July 2023, have surfaced on social media,” said a statement released by the Chief Minister’s secretariat.

The case has already been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“State police, in collaboration with the central security agencies, are actively investigating the case to determine the circumstances surrounding their disappearance and to identify the perpetrators who murdered the two students. The security forces have also started the search operation to nab the perpetrators,” the statement said.

“In response to this distressing situation, the government assures the people that swift and decisive action will be taken against all those involved in the kidnapping and killing of Phijam Hemjit and Hijam Linthoingambi. The government is committed to ensuring justice prevails and will impose severe punishment on any perpetrators found responsible for this heinous crime,” it added.

The government has urged the people to exercise restraint and to let the authorities handle the investigation, the Chief Minister’s secretariat said.

MANIPUR VIOLENCE

More than 150 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out on May 3 when a ’Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Around 40,000 central security personnel, besides the Manipur Police, were deployed to control the violence and bring back normalcy in the state.

The state government on Saturday announced the resumption of mobile internet services after over four months. The development came due to the improving situation, Chief Minister Singh said.

Courtesy: India Today