Several protesters are reported to have been injured.
Imphal:
Protests against the killing of two students in Manipur intensified on Wednesday morning, leading to demonstrators clashing with police personnel in Imphal. Police baton-charged the protesters and fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Curfew has been reimposed in the state capital with immediate effect following the clashes.
Two photos of the girl and the boy, who went missing in July, emerged 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.
Massive protests against the killings, led mainly by students, broke out on Tuesday night. The demonstrators attempted to march towards the residence of Chief Minister Biren Singh but were stopped.
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.
Initial reports point to several protesters being injured, some of them grievously.
Chief Minister Biren Singh has announced a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the deaths of the two students. A team led by a special director of the agency reached Imphal this morning.
The prompt CBI investigation into the deaths of the students has sparked protests from the other community, who have accused the Biren Singh government of being partial ever since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.
