IMPHAL: Following an extensive investigation, the central bureau of investigation (CBI) has filed charge sheets against five individuals arrested in connection with the abduction and murder of two Meitei students, whose lifeless bodies were discovered in a forested area, a disturbing incident that gained widespread attention on social media.
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, responding to a supplementary question posed by opposition Congress MLA K Meghachandra during the state assembly session on Tuesday (March 05), disclosed that the CBI is overseeing the case pertaining to the disappearance of the two Meitei students.
The Manipur chief minister further revealed that the CBI has taken action by filing charge sheets against the five suspects apprehended in connection with the crime.
When pressed for further details, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh tersely remarked that the matter is now within the purview of an independent investigative team.
Amidst the backdrop of ethnic violence in Manipur that erupted on May 3 last year, there were widespread protests in valley areas of the Northeast state following the circulation of photographs of the two missing Meitei students – Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17), who vanished on July 6, 2023.
Also read: Manipur violence: 28 persons still missing, informs CM Biren Singh
However, the case has since been transferred to the jurisdiction of the CBI.
CCTV footage recovered by the Manipur police depicted the two students riding a KTM bike en route to Khoupum via Lamdan in Churachandpur district of Manipur, an area marred by the ongoing communal strife between the Kuki and Meitei communities.
Despite this lead, law enforcement authorities were unable to trace their whereabouts due to the Manipur’s prevailing crisis and the Kuki-dominated nature of the region.
Meanwhile, Hijam Kullajit, the father of Hijam Linthoingambi, expressed dissatisfaction over the failure to locate the bodies of the two students and lamented that their last rites have yet to be conducted.
He appealed for a prompt investigation and swift justice, urging the government to address the matter in the Manipur assembly.