Manipur student deaths: CBI takes 4 accused to Guwahati; tribals call bandh

The CBI has taken the four persons arrested on Sunday (October 1) in connection with the kidnapping and murder of two students in Manipur to Guwahati.

“The arrested accused will be produced before a competent court in Guwahati, designated as per the orders of the Supreme Court. Two children, who accompanied the arrested accused during their transit from Imphal to Guwahati, have been handed over to the district child protection officer of Kamrup metro district for their welfare, protection and care,” a CBI spokesperson said.

The four, including the wife of the main accused, were taken to Guwahati by a special flight, Chief Minister Biren Singh said on Sunday. Officials of the chief minister’s secretariat said the two minor girls, aged 11 and nine years, are daughters of the main accused.

To protest against the arrests and demand their release, several tribal organisations based in Churachandpur have called for bandhs of varied duration from Monday.

Joint operation

Phijam Hemanjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17) had gone missing on July 6. Photos purportedly showing their bodies surfaced on September 25, leading to violent protests, mainly by students.

In a joint operation with the Manipur Police and the central forces, the CBI arrested two men, Paominlun Haokip and Smalsawm Haokip, and two women, Lhingneichong Baitekuki and Tinneilhing Henthang, in connection with its cases registered on August 23.

The CBI arrested the four from Henglep area of Churachandpur district. In the operation leading to their arrest, personnel of the Army, paramilitary forces such as the BSF and CRPF, and the state police played a major role, the Manipur chief minister said.

However, a large number of protesters demonstrated near the Churachandpur Police Station on Sunday night to protest against the arrests. The ITLF, a conglomerate of recognised tribals of Manipur, called for an indefinite shutdown in Churachandpur district from 10 am on Monday in protest against the arrests and demanded that they be released within 48 hours.

“All boundary areas with the Meitei will be sealed from tomorrow. No one will be allowed to enter or leave the buffer zones. All government offices will be closed from tomorrow,” the ITLF said in a statement.

The Churachandpur-based Joint Students’ Body (JSB) has also called a 12-hour shutdown in the district from 6 am on Monday.

CM’s statement

In Imphal, the Chief Minister announced the arrests and said maximum punishment would be ensured by the government.

Shortly before holding a press conference, he posted on X, “As the saying goes, one may abscond after committing a crime, but they cannot escape the long arm of the law. We are committed to ensuring maximum punishment, including capital punishment, for the heinous crime they have committed.”

The government will support the CBI in its investigation and all those involved in the killing of the two youths will be arrested, the chief minister said.

Violent protests by students rocked the Manipur capital on September 26 and 27. A mob tried to attack the ancestral house of Chief Minister Singh on the night of September 28, but security forces foiled the attempt. Another mob vandalised the deputy commissioner’s office in Imphal West.

Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey visited the family members of the two slain youths on September 29.

“Not an ethnic strife”

More than 180 people have lost their lives and several hundreds injured since the ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3. Singh has asserted that the nearly five-month-long violence in the state is “not an ethnic strife” but caused by terrorist groups which are based in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

He said that the NIA on Saturday arrested one person identified as Seiminlun Gangte from Churachandpur in connection with a case of a transnational conspiracy by Myanmar and Bangladesh-based leadership of terror outfits to wage war against India by exploiting the current ethnic strife in Manipur.

“This speaks clearly about the real cause of the violence,” the chief minister said.

Gangte was the second accused arrested in the case, registered suo motu on July 19. On September 22, the NIA arrested Moirangthem Anand Singh from Manipur in connection with it.

The chief minister appealed to the people to abide by the rule of law and to get permission from the respective district authorities while taking out a rally. “When a rally is being taken into hyper-sensitive zones, security forces respond to it resulting in clashes and injuries and so it should not be done,” Singh said.

He also appealed to all not to intimidate or harass the state police personnel, saying they have suffered much and many of them killed since the violence started.

(With agency inputs)