Manipur has re-imposed a ban on mobile devices accessing the internet amid violent protests over the brutal murder of two minors, news of which broke after photographs of the bodies went viral on social media. The ban will be in effect till Sunday and comes just days after the state government lifted similar orders – that had been in place for five months – after ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in the north-eastern state killed over 175 people and left hundreds injured.
Earlier today hundreds of students took to the streets to protest the killings. They tried to march towards 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 clash.
READ |Massive Students’ Protest In Manipur Over Viral Photos Of 2 Dead Students
The two students whose deaths have provoked fresh tension in the state have been missing since early July – when the Meitei-Kuki conflict was at its peak. One photo released on social media showed them sitting in what seemed to be an unidentified armed group’s makeshift jungle camp.
The girl, 17, is seen in a white t-shirt and the boy is wearing a checked shirt. Behind them, two men with guns are clearly visible. In another their bodies are seen slumped on the ground.
READ | In Manipur Horror, Pics Show 2 Students Killed, 2 Armed Men Behind Them
In July, the two were seen in CCTV footage but they could not be traced further at the time.
The young boy’s distraught parents spoke to NDTV and denounced the “inhuman” murders.
“What was the mistake of my son, or the daughter, who got murdered? They did not harm anyone… they were just roaming about. Being murdered brutally is inhuman!” the father said.
The two children – in a relationship with each other – were on a bike ride after a curfew (imposed because of the ethnic violence) was relaxed when they were believed to have been abducted.
The case sparked outrage and many have questioned why the police is unable to find the killers.
The Manipur government has called on people to show restraint and allow authorities to investigate the kidnapping and killing of the two students. Mr Singh, who has vowed “swift and decisive action” has handed the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
