Manipur: Protests erupt after bodies of two missing youths found
Security forces used tear gas and baton charges to disperse protesters in Kangpokpi district after two missing Kuki youths were found dead.
Protesters clashed with security forces in Manipur's Kangpokpi district after the mutilated bodies of two missing youths were found in the adjoining Senapati district on Sunday, according to The Federal.
The deceased have been identified as Tinginlun Chongloi, 21, and Paoginlal Hangsing, 20, who went missing from Taphou Kuki village on October 28 or 29.
The bodies were recovered from a banana farm in a hilly stretch along SP Road, east of the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2), during a joint search operation by the Manipur Police, CRPF, Assam Rifles, CoBRA, and RAF.
Agitators in Kangpokpi burned tyres and blocked roads with logs and boulders on Sunday night. Security forces used tear gas shells and baton charges to disperse the crowd after protesters threw stones at them.
Deputy Chief Ministers Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho condemned the killings. Kipgen demanded a thorough investigation into the crimes, while Dikho stated that no grievances justify taking a human life.
The Naga Peoples' Organisation has questioned the circumstances of the recovery and demanded an independent investigation. Meanwhile, the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) has demanded the resignation of Dikho and the transfer of Taphou Kuki village's jurisdiction to the Kangpokpi SP.