Manipur: Several injured after students' protest rally in Imphal turns ugly

IMPHAL: Several students were injured on Wednesday after security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse a stone-pelting mob in Imphal's Moirangkhom, about 200 metres from the CM's secretariat.

The students were partipating in a rally which started from Hau grounds of the state capital protesting the kidnapping and killing of two youths, who went missing in July and whose photographs went viral on social media recently. The students, raising slogans of "we want justice", were heading towards the Chief Minister Biren N Singh's bungalow, officials said.

Lanthengba, a student leader leading the rally told reporters, "We demand that the killers of the two students be arrested within 24 hours and their bodies be recovered for their last rites. We also want to meet the chief minister to address our grievances. How can we continue with our studies when our friends and classmates are being murdered in cold blood." Police tried to cool down tempers by announcing that "arrangements are being made to allow student representatives to meet both the chief minister and the governor."

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However, the situation suddenly turned ugly and some students started pelting stones prompting the security forces including RAF personnel to fire several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse them, officials said. This comes a day after a clash between RAF personnel and locals left 45 protesters, mostly students, injured.