CBI action created panic in Manipur, arrested accused had to be taken to Assam, shutdown from today

CBI has started investigation into the kidnapping and murder of two students in Manipur. The agency has arrested four youths from the Kuki community. He is accused of murdering both the students of Meitei community. Due to worsening situation, he has been shifted to Assam. Today Kuki organizations have appealed for a bandh.

The fire of caste violence in Manipur has not stopped even after six months. There is once again a wave of violence in the state. The situation is bad after the disappearance of two students and their bodies were later found. In this case, Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four people in the case of kidnapping and murder of two Manipuri youth. Due to bad environment, he has been shifted to Assam.

The government is committed to ensuring that the accused receive maximum punishment for their crimes. The wife of the main accused is also among the four arrested and they have been sent to Assam by a special flight. Two minor girls, aged 11 and 9, were initially detained in connection with the case, but were later released. These girls are the daughters of the main accused. Both the young men and women killed were from the Meitei community.

Violence flares up again after the death of two students, appeal for bandh

After the arrest of the accused from the Kuki community, many tribal organizations based in Churachandpur have called for a bandh to protest against the arrest and demand the release of the four youths. The two victims, 20-year-old man Phizam Hemanjit and 17-year-old girl Hizam Linthoingambi, went missing on 6 July. On September 25, photographs of their dead bodies surfaced, leading to large-scale violent protests led by students.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh revealed in a press conference that the CBI has arrested four people from Henglep area of ​​Churachandpur district for the murder of the two students. These people were taken out of the state by special aircraft. However, the CM did not disclose where he was taken. Now it came to light that he has been taken to Guwahati in Assam.

CBI is investigating murder cases in Manipur

Paramilitary forces like Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police launched the operation in which four people from the Kuki community were arrested. A team of CBI officers led by the agency's special director Ajay Bhatnagar has reached Manipur and started investigating the murders that took place since September 27.

Shortly before the press conference, Chief Minister Singh said on social media platform X that the government is committed to ensure maximum punishment, including death penalty, for this heinous crime. According to the Chief Minister, the government is fully cooperating in the CBI investigation and all those involved in the murder of the two youths will be caught.

Demonstration in Imphal after picture of dead bodies of students

On September 25, after photographs of the victims' bodies surfaced on social media, student groups staged violent protests in the state capital on September 26 and 27. On the night of 28 September, the mob tried to attack the Chief Minister's house, but the security forces stopped them. Apart from these, another mob vandalized the office of the Deputy Commissioner in Imphal West district.

The Chief Minister also stressed that the violence that has been going on in the state for almost five months is not an ethnic conflict, but has been instigated by terrorist groups based in Bangladesh and Myanmar. He told that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested a person named Seminlun Gangte from Churachandpur. Investigation revealed that he had connections with a terrorist organization in Myanmar. It was later revealed that their aim was to wage war against India under the guise of existing caste violence.

Tribal groups appealed for bandh

In response to the arrest, massive protests took place near the Churachandpur police station, and various organisations, including the ITLF and the Joint Students' Body (JSB), a group of recognized tribals of Manipur, called for a bandh and demonstration. On May 3, caste clashes broke out in Manipur following a “tribal solidarity march” against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. So far, more than 180 people have lost their lives in the violence, and hundreds have been injured. The Meitei population in Manipur constitutes 53% and live mainly in the Imphal Valley, while the Nagas and Kukis, constituting more than 40%, are tribal communities living in the hill districts.