CBI Team to Rush to Imphal Today After New Protests Emerge In Manipur Over Killing Of 2 Meitei Students

Following further demonstrations over the “kidnapping and killing” of two students who vanished in the northeastern state on July 6, a CBI team will go to the capital of Manipur today. A few days after mobile internet service was once again available in the violent state, images of the two students’ corpses started to circulate on social media on Monday.

Ajay Bhatnagar, the agency’s special director, will be leading a team of representatives that also includes joint director Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who is camped out in Imphal. N Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, said on the social media platform X, “To further accelerate this vital probe, the director of the Central Bureau of probe (CBI), along with a specialized team, would be coming in Imphal tomorrow am on a special aircraft. Their presence demonstrates how determined our officials are to address this problem as soon as possible. I have been in regular contact with the honorable union home minister Shri @AmitShah ji to track down the criminals and prosecute them.

On Monday, images of the two students’ corpses who had been missing since July went viral on social media: Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17). The two’s locations were unknown, according to the police, and their mobile phones were discovered to be off. According to authorities, their phones’ last known location was Lamdan, a popular tourist destination for winter flowers in the Churachandpur area.

The Manipur administration ordered the state’s schools to close for the next two days and to stop providing mobile internet access for the next five days after hearing of the kids’ deaths spurred further demonstrations in Imphal. Following altercations with police during Tuesday’s rallies, at least 45 students have been hurt and are receiving medical attention in hospitals. The kids demanded that the offenders get severe punishment.