CBI team led by director to probe into killing of missing youths: Manipur CM

PTI, Sep 27, 2023, 9:21 AM IST

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the CBI director along with a specialised team will arrive in Imphal on Wednesday to investigate the killing of two youths who had been missing since July 6.

Photos of the bodies of the two missing youths went viral on social media, leading to protests by students in the state.

Altogether 45 students, many of them girls, were injured in Imphal Valley on Tuesday as the police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged protesters demonstrating against the killing of two youths who were allegedly kidnapped in July, officials said.

The photos surfaced on social media on Monday.

Singh posted on X: ”In light of the distressing news that emerged yesterday regarding the tragic demise of the missing students, I want to assure the people of the State that both the state and central government are closely working together to nab the perpetrators.” ”To further expedite this crucial investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, along with a specialised team, will be arriving in Imphal tomorrow morning in a special flight. Their presence underscores the commitment of our authorities to swiftly resolve this matter,” Singh said.

The CM further said he has been in constant touch with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to find the perpetrators of the killings.

The state government earlier said the case has already been handed over to the CBI.

More than 175 people have been killed and several hundreds injured since ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.