Manipur: NIA to probe killing of two Taphou Kuki youths, says CM

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will investigate the killing of two young men from Taphou Kuki village whose bodies were found in Manipur's Senapati district earlier this month, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh said on Monday.

The Chief Minister announced the handover while meeting the families of Paoginlal Hangshing and Tinginlun Chongloi, according to an official statement reported by PTI. Both men were residents of Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district.

What the Chief Minister said

Singh offered his condolences to the families and promised them the government's full support. He told them the case had been handed to the NIA and that everyone involved in the killing of the two civilians would be arrested, though he cautioned that this could take time.

To make that point, he referred to the Tronglaobi bomb attack in Bishnupur district earlier this year, in which two children were killed. He said the NIA had needed about four months to gather enough evidence before it arrested the people behind that attack.

He also asked the public to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Families' requests

The families asked the Chief Minister to open talks with civil society organisations so that the last rites of the two young men can be held soon. L Chongloi, chief of Taphou Kuki village, briefed Singh on the difficulties residents have faced since the incident.

Singh also met CRPF personnel posted in Taphou Kuki village and praised their work in keeping the area peaceful.

Background

Paoginlal Hangshing and Tinginlun Chongloi went missing on the evening of October 28. Their bodies were recovered on November 1 during a joint search by Manipur Police and central forces in Senapati district, east of National Highway 2.

The deaths added to tension in Manipur's hill districts, where Kuki-Zo and Naga groups have been at odds in recent months. Handing the case to the NIA, a central agency that handles terror and other serious cases, moves the investigation out of the hands of the state police.

The NIA had not issued its own statement on the case at the time of writing. NEInsider will update this story when the agency registers the case or makes arrests.