Tension simmers in Manipur since photos of the teenagers' bodies emerged on Monday. Thousands of students took out protest rallies and raised slogans on the streets of Imphal for the second consecutive day on Wednesday in protest against the kidnapping and murder of two youths. Manipur Police, CRPF and RAF personnel were seen deployed in large numbers in Imphal Valley amid fear of possible protests and violence.
Imphal: Tension simmers in Manipur since photos of the teenagers’ bodies emerged on Monday. Protests against the killing of two students in Manipur continues for second consecutive day on Wednesday morning, with demonstrators clashing with police personnel in Imphal. Police baton-charged the protesters and fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Two photos of the girl and the boy, who went missing in July, surface on Monday. The first photo shows the two teenagers – both of whom are 17 years old – sitting on the grass in what appears to be a jungle camp of an armed group. Two men with guns can be seen standing behind them. The next photo shows both of them dead, with their bodies lying on the ground.
This comes a day after a clash broke out on Tuesday night between local people and RAF personnel protesting against the killing of two students missing since July 6, following which law enforcement officials had to use tear gas shells, lathi charge and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. The demonstrators attempted to march towards the residence of Chief Minister Biren Singh but were stopped. Bullets had to be fired in which 45 people were injured. Most of the injured are students.
The protest continued near Kangla Fort, close to the chief minister’s residence, on Wednesday morning. Clashes broke out between the protesters and the police and, when attempts to control the situation failed, the police personnel resorted to a baton charge and firing tear gas shells at the protesters. According to initial reports, several protesters being injured, some of them grievously.
The state government has declared public holiday on September 27 and 29 in all schools in view of the law and order situation. September 28 is a public holiday in the state on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad, the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed.
Violence has been reported in parts of Manipur since chaos first broke out in the state on May 3 which leads several killed and dozens injured. The Meitei community constitutes about 53 per cent of the population of Manipur and they mostly live in the Imphal Valley. At the same time, the population of Naga and Kuki tribals is about 40 percent and they mostly live in the hill districts.
