CBI probe begins : Amit Shah vows killers of 2 Manipuri students will be punished

 Photos of the bodies of the two students -- Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17), who were allegedly kidnapped in July -- went viral on social media on Monday (September 25), setting off violent protests in the state again. 

Around 150 students have been injured in the two days of protests in Imphal Valley as the police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged protesters.

A BJP mandal office in Thoubal district was set on fire by a mob on Wednesday. The mob destroyed the office gate, shattered windows, and damaged the windshield of a vehicle parked within the premises.  Protestors also resorted to burning tyres and blocking the Indo-Myanmar highway using wooden logs and unused electric poles.  

A team of CBI officials, led by the agency's Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, reached Manipur's capital Imphal on Wednesday and began investigating the crime. The focus of the central probe agency will be identifying the scene of crime, retrieving the bodies and nailing the perpetrators. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed that the perpetrators will be arrested and punished, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Biren Singh stated that both the central and state governments are treating the case with the utmost seriousness. He disclosed that Home Minister Amit Shah had personally called him, assuring that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would probe the case thoroughly.

The Chief Minister said Shah told him that this case has to be dealt with very seriously and those responsible have to be booked as per the law of the land. The Home Minister assured that “no one will be spared”.  

In light of the prevailing law and order situation, the Manipur government has declared the entire state a "disturbed area". 

As per the state government's notification, the entire state, except for 19 specific police station areas, was declared a "disturbed area" under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).