Guwahati: Hundreds of agitated students on Tuesday took to the streets of violence-hit Manipur's twin districts of Imphal East and Imphal West in protest against the kidnapping and suspected killing of two students by armed miscreants. The protesters, shouting slogans like “we want justice,” also engaged in a scuffle with the security forces as they tried to storm into state Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s residence in Imphal. The security forces had to fire tear gas shells to control the irate mob.


Several students were injured in the melee. All the injured students were soon rushed to the hospital with at least 31 of them being admitted to the Raj Medicity Hospital in the state capital.  


Protests also erupted in the localities of Tera Tekyel in Imphal West district from where the missing students belonged. The protesters also formed human chains blocking the busy thoroughfares of the town.  


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Earlier on Monday night, the Manipur government assured to take a “swift and decisive” action against the people involved in the suspected killing of the students Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17). Both students had gone missing since July 6 this year. The state government has already handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).


However, photographs of the duo surfaced online after the restoration of internet services in the strife-torn state on Saturday. In one of the photographs, the students were seen sitting on the ground with two armed men standing behind them. In the other photograph, the duo is seen lying down, presumed dead. Though intensive search operations for the missing students were launched soon after they went missing, they are yet to be found.  


The Manipur government later appealed to the people of the state to exercise restraint and let the authorities handle the investigation.


At least 180 people have been killed and around 1,108 injured in the nearly five-month-long ethnic clashes in the state. On the other hand, 32 others are still missing.


The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.


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