Guwahati, Oct 01, 2023, IANS

Imphal, Oct 1 (IANS): Four suspects in the murder of two young students in Manipur were arrested on Sunday by the CBI and other security forces, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said.

He said that on the direction of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a special CBI team led by the agency’s Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, along with five officers, have been camping in Manipur since September 27.

"Today (Sunday), a combined team of CBI, Army, Assam Rifles, and state security forces have arrested four suspects from Churachandpur district in connection with the murder of two young students. This is a major breakthrough to the heinous crime of two students’ killing," Biren Singh told the media.

The Chief Minister said that the Union Home Minister has assured him that the case of the murder of two young students would be dealt with seriously and the perpetrators would be punished appropriately.

The Manipur government earlier handed over the case of students’ killing to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The northeastern state witnessed massive students’ agitations last week to protest the killing of 17-year-old girl student Hijam Linthoingambi and 20-year-old Phijam Hemjit, who hailed from Bishnupur district and had gone missing on July 6 during the height of ethnic violence in Manipur and their photographs were circulated in various social media on September 25.

The victims’ families suspected that their children had been killed by armed assailants.

At least 100 students, including girls, have been injured during the agitations after they clashed with the security forces, who prevented them from marching towards the Chief Minister’s bungalow. In view of the students’ agitations, the state government shut all schools in the state till September 29 and temporarily re-imposed the ban on mobile internet services.