In the midst of the uproar in Manipur over the alleged murder of two students who went missing in July, Chief Minister N Biren Singh declared today, Saturday, September 30 that the "culprits will definitely be caught”.
The state has been witnessing protests since Monday after a video showing the dead bodies of two students went viral on social media. The State Government, in response, suspended mobile internet access for five days, till October 1. Schools in the state were closed till September 29, and curfews were imposed in all districts of the Imphal Valley.
"Definitely, we will catch the culprits. Everything will be fine soon," Manipur's chief minister told ANI, referring to the current CBI investigation into the deaths of the two young people.
A CBI team led by Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar arrived in Imphal on Wednesday, September 27, in a chartered flight to probe the alleged "kidnapping and killing" of the two students.
CBI teams must visit the crime site of cases that have been registered or transferred to them, recreate them, collect forensic evidence, and deliver them to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.
"To ensure speedy investigation and keeping the safety of CBI officials on priority, CRPF personnel will accompany them during their visits in violence-hit areas for investigation purposes," said an official from the CBI.
The two teenagers were reported missing in Manipur on July 6.
Further protests erupted in the state following the incident, on September 25, after a video of their bodies went viral on social media.
Senior officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) met at the Manipur Police Headquarters in Imphal on Thursday afternoon to examine the state's law and order situation.
"A meeting of senior CAPF officers was held at PHQ, Imphal to discuss the current law and order situation in the state," Manipur Police stated in a post on 'X', formerly known as Twitter on Thursday, September 28.
The officers were informed of the injuries sustained by students as well as security professionals, according to police, who added that the forces discussed employing minimal force when dealing with the public, particularly students and children.
"Manipur Police appeals to the students to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and bringing normalcy back early. Any miscreants taking advantage of the current situation will be firmly dealt with by the police. The joint security forces are making all efforts for an expeditious investigation into all the cases," the police added in the post.
The CBI has currently registered 11 FIRs, one of which involves the viral video of two young tribal women exhibited naked. All of the cases are being investigated.
Violence has erupted in Manipur since May 3, following protests by the Kuki and Meitei tribes over the high court's judgement for the state administration to consider including the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.
