After images of the remains of two students who went missing in July appeared on social media, the Manipur government today pledged to take “swift and decisive” action.
The bodies of the two pupils, one of whom is a minor, have not yet been located, despite the fact that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been investigating this matter. According to sources, investigators are also looking into claims that the kid was raped before being slain.
The images depict a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old guy lounging at the grassy compound of what looks to be an armed group’s improvised camp in the woods.
The male is holding a backpack and is wearing a checked shirt while he watches the girl, who is wearing a white t-shirt. Two armed men are clearly visible behind them.
Their bodies are seen sprawled on the ground in the following image.
35 kilometres from Churachandpur, in the Bishnupur area, the two were last seen. The students were allegedly brought to Churachandpur by armed criminals from a location between these two districts.
Many people in the country are incensed by the case and wonder why it took the police so long to solve it.
The two pupils were seen on camera by shop CCTV systems in July, but their whereabouts were unknown.
The investigators are likely to use advanced cyber forensics tools to make the images clearer and determine the identities of the two men visible in the background, people with direct knowledge of the matter said, requesting anonymity.
“It has come to the notice of the state government that the photos of two students… who have been missing since July 2023 have surfaced on social media. It may be noted that this case has already been handed over to the CBI as per the wishes of the people of the state,” the Manipur government said in a statement today.
“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 government said.
The government promised to take “swift and decisive action” against everyone responsible for the students’ kidnapping and murder. It urged the populace to remain composed and give the investigators space to perform their work.
Around 25 Kuki rebel factions with whom the military, the federal government, and the state of Manipur have signed a tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement have multiple camps in the state’s hills. The Meiteis accuse the Kuki insurgents of breaking the SoO agreement by publicly using high-tech weapons, while the Kukis claim that valley-based militias attacked them.
On May 3, after the Kuki tribes protested the Meiteis’ petition for Scheduled Tribes (ST) designation, ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and the hill- and valley-dominant Kuki tribes broke out. Over 180 have died and thousands have been internally displaced.
