Rally seeks whereabouts of missing students
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 01 2023:
Demanding authorities concerned to help locate the whereabouts of two teenagers who went missing since July 6, Apunba Tengbang Lup took out a rally from Takyel Kolom Leikai, Jiribam Road on Tuesday.
The rally, however, was intercepted by police at Sagolband Tera Keithel after which handful of protestors were allowed to meet and submit memorandum to the Governor, chief minister and MLA of Patsoi AC.
Apunba Tengbang Lup, an apex body of clubs and associations of Patsoi, also submitted another memorandum, which is to be forwarded to the Prime Minister.
During the rally, the protestors held placards inscribed with the slogans like 'Book the culprit', 'Why government is silent?', and 'Government should help find missing students' .
The memorandum signed by Lup convenor Tongbram Pishak Singh detailed how and where the two students went missing.
It stated that since the conflict first broke out from Kuki-dominant area of Churachandpur on May 3, Chin-Kuki militants/terrorists have been attacking and killing the Meitei people, while displacing many others.
They decided to attack the Meitei people just because of the state government's 'War on Drugs' campaign and eviction of encroachers from reserved & protected forests, and also against the implementation of NRC in Manipur.
Amidst the on-going attacks by Chin-Kuki militants, Luwangbi Linthoinganbi Hijam (17) al o Hijam Kulajit Singh of Sagolband Tera Tongbram Leika and Phijam Hemanjit Singh (17) s/o Ibungobi of Takyel Kolom Leikai were kidnapped by the militants on July 6.Since then, whereabouts of the two teenagers remain unknown and it is not known whether they are still alive.
Linthoingambi had been preparing to appear for the NEET Exam and enrolled in a coaching centre at Keishampat Mutum Leirak.
After the tuition classes ended, both of them hopped on Hemanjit's motorbike KTM 200 Duke (MN 06 SG 2546), electronic orange and their last sighting was caught on CCTV footage in an area located between Imphal West and Bishnupur districts on the morning of the same day.
As Linthoingambi failed to return after her tuition classes, her father Kulajit called her around 8.30 am and she mentioned she was in Khoupum.
However, before she could finish speaking, someone seemed to snatch her phone and said something that was intelligible but not Meiteilon, before hanging up the call.
Soon after, a report was filed with the police.
As per police investigation, the location of Phijam Hemanjit's mobile handset showed up Winter Flower tourist spot at Lamdan under Loktak PS.
It was further found that a Kuki individual from an area under Loktak PS jurisdiction was using Hemanjit's phone and had switched his (Hemanjit) SIM card with a new one.
A call was made from the mobile handset to Lingthoingambi's mother and later, cut off the claiming it to be a wrong number.
Further investigation revealed that the caller was a Kuki individual.
The memorandum continued that based on reliable news, it was found that both teenagers were kidnapped by armed Kuki militants in a Maruti Gypsy and taken to Joujangtek, a Kuki village, on July 7.It is highly suspected that both of them have been killed.
Their families, however, are even unable to hold their funeral as their dead bodies have not been found either.
Both of their whereabouts, whether they are alive or dead, are still unknown.
Thus, the memorandum appealed for finding the two teenagers and to punish all those involved in the case as per the law of the land.
If the Kuki militants are not brought under control at the earliest, then many of the future pillars will become victims of the militants, it stated.
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