Centre should be ashamed of its inaction in Manipur: Priyanka on killing of two students

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday slammed the central government over the killing of two students in ethnic violence in Manipur, saying it should be "ashamed of its inaction" as the horrific crimes are being allowed to continue "unabated".

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi said, “More shocking news from Manipur. Children are the most vulnerable victims of ethnic violence. It is our duty to do all we can to protect them.”

“The horrific crimes being committed in Manipur are beyond words, yet they are being allowed to continue unabated. The central government should be ashamed of its inaction,” the Congress leader said.

Her remarks came after the news of the murder of two young students came to the fore on Tuesday.

The Manipur government said that it has handed over the murder case of two young students to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), while the security forces have also initiated a search operation to nab the perpetrators.

An official from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said that it has come to the notice of the state government that photos of the victims, identified as Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17), who have been missing since July, have surfaced on social media.

Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 this year. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi had visited the violence hit state in June while a delegation of the opposition MPs also went to the northeastern state in the month of July.

The Congress had condemned the ethnic violence and had demanded immediate removal of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, and also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the state.

 According to Inspector General of Manipur Police (Operations) I.K. Muivaa, at least 175 people have been killed, 1108 injured and 32 remain unaccounted for since the ethnic violence erupted in the state on May 3.