Manipur has imposed another ban on mobile devices from accessing the internet amid violent protests over the brutal killing of two minors, news of which emerged after photos of the bodies went viral on social media. The ban will be in effect until Sunday and comes just days after the state government withdrew similar orders – which had been in place for five months – after ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in the northeastern state left more than 175 people dead and left. hundreds injured.
Earlier today, hundreds of students took to the streets to protest the killings. They tried to march to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s residence but were intercepted by security forces, who fired tear gas shells and smoke bombs to disperse the crowd. Several students were injured in the collision.
READ |Massive student protest in Manipur over viral photos of two dead students
The two students whose deaths have sparked new tensions in the state have been missing since early July when the Meitei-Kuki conflict was at its peak. In a photo released on social media, they were in what appeared to be a makeshift jungle camp of an unidentified armed group.
The girl, 17, is seen wearing a white T-shirt and the boy is wearing a checked shirt. Two men with guns are clearly visible behind them. In another, their bodies are seen slumped on the ground.
READ | In Manipur Horror, the photos show two murdered students, with two armed men behind them
The two were seen on camera images in July, but they could not be traced at the time.
The young boy’s distraught parents spoke to NDTV and denounced the ‘inhumane’ killings.
“What was the fault of my son, or the daughter, who was murdered? They did not harm anyone… they were just walking around. To be brutally murdered is inhumane!” said the father.
The two children – who were in a relationship with each other – were cycling after a curfew (imposed due to ethnic violence) was relaxed when they were allegedly kidnapped.
The case sparked outrage and many wondered why police cannot find the killers.
The Manipur government has appealed to people to exercise restraint and allow authorities to investigate the abduction and murder of the two students. Mr Singh, who has promised “swift and decisive action”, has transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
