2 Meitei students missing from Imphal presumed killed after photos surface

The two were residents of Tera Tongbram Leikai in Imphal and had gone missing on July 6.

Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic conflict since early May between the Kuki-Zomi and Meitei tribes over the forest eviction and demand for ST status for Meiteis. (Here’s a detailed explainer on the issue)

After the photos surfaced, the Chief Minister’s Secretariat issued a statement saying that the case had already been handed over to the 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,” it said.

It further stated that “swift and decisive” action will be taken against those involved in the killing. “The government is committed to ensuring justice prevails and will impose severe punishment on any perpetrators found responsible for this heinous crime. The government encourages the public to exercise restraint and to let the authorities handle the investigation,” it said.