Manipur: 30 Injured As Police Baton-Charge Students Protesting Death Of 2 Youths

More than 30 students, mostly girls, were injured in Manipur's Imphal Valley on Tuesday as the police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged a mob protesting against the killing of two youths who were allegedly kidnapped in July, officials said.

The students brought out protest rallies hours after photos of the bodies of the two youths went viral on social media.

The protesters clashed with the police when security forces tried to stop them from advancing towards the chief minister's secretariat here, police said.

The injured protesters were treated at various hospitals.

On July 6, two young individuals disappeared. Law enforcement authorities had initially reported a lack of information regarding their location, as their mobile phones were turned off. The final known location of their devices was determined to be in Lamdan, within the Churachandpur district.

Manipur has been experiencing a wave of ethnic violence since the beginning of May. More than 175 individuals have tragically lost their lives, and hundreds more have been injured in the wake of ethnic confrontations. These conflicts were ignited by a 'Tribal Solidarity March' conducted in the hill districts, organized in protest of the majority Meitei community's plea for Scheduled Tribe status.

The Meiteis constitute approximately 53 percent of Manipur's population and are predominantly concentrated in the Imphal valley, whereas the tribal communities, including Nagas and Kukis, make up 40 percent of the population and primarily inhabit the hill districts.