On 25 September 2023, photos circulated of two Meitei students from Imphal, missing since 6 July, sitting among armed men and then dead. Students marched in Imphal on 26 and 27 September towards Chief Minister N Biren Singh's bungalow and clashed with security forces; reported injuries range from 45 to over 200. Manipur reimposed its mobile internet ban, the CBI arrested suspects in Churachandpur and flew them to Guwahati, and it charged five people in January 2024.
Key takeaways
- Two Meitei students from Imphal, aged 17 and 20, went missing on 6 July 2023; photos of them with armed men, and of their bodies, circulated on 25 September.
- Security forces used tear gas and batons on student marches on 26 and 27 September; reported injuries range from 45 (officials) to over 200 (student groups).
- The CBI arrested five people in October 2023 and charged five in January 2024; Kuki groups called the arrests arbitrary.
Background: the conflict since May 2023
Ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on 3 May 2023, when a "Tribal Solidarity March" was held in the hill districts against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Meiteis, about 53 per cent of the population, live mostly in the Imphal Valley; tribal communities, about 40 per cent, mostly in the hills PTI via Onmanorama.
By late September 2023 more than 175 people had been killed and over 60,000 displaced, according to PTI Deccan Herald. Mobile internet, cut on 3 May, was restored on 23 September PTI via Onmanorama. By February 2026 at least 260 people had been killed, PTI reported PTI via Eastern Mirror.
The disappearance in July
The two Meitei students from Imphal, a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, went missing on 6 July 2023 Scroll. This page does not name them because one was a minor. A few reports gave 18 for one of them Tribune; the CBI called the girl a minor Deccan Herald.
According to the CBI, the young man picked the girl up from her tuition class on his motorbike on the morning of 6 July Deccan Herald. They were last seen on CCTV at Nambol in Bishnupur district, and police traced their phones to Lamdan in Churachandpur district, where Kuki-Zo people are the majority PTI via ETV Bharat. Their parents filed police complaints on 8 and 19 July PTI via Business Standard.
In an August status report to the Supreme Court, Manipur Police said the area was inaccessible because of armed Kuki militants and the "State investigating agency is handicapped" Scroll. The CBI registered the two cases on 23 August 2023 at the state's request Sentinel.
The photos
PTI reported that the photos surfaced on 25 September 2023 PTI via Business Standard; The Wire said they began spreading on 23 September, the day internet was restored The Wire. One shows the two sitting on grass in what looks like a forest camp, with armed men behind them. The second shows their bodies. The photos carried the date 8 July, two days after the two went missing Tribune.
The Chief Minister's Office confirmed the identities The Wire. Claim · Police and media Deccan Herald reported that it was suspected "armed miscreants" belonging to the Kukis had abducted and killed the two Deccan Herald; Kuki groups disputed the later arrests (see below).
Timeline
Two students go missing
Last traced towards Churachandpur district PTI via ETV Bharat.
Photos circulate
Two days after internet is restored Tribune.
Tear gas at Moirangkhom; CBI team arrives
Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar leads the team PTI via Deccan Herald.
BJP office burnt; CM's family home targeted
Security forces stop the mob at Heingang The Quint.
Four arrested, flown to Guwahati
Churachandpur shuts down the next day Tribune.
Absconding accused detained
Handed to the CBI Ukhrul Times.
The protests of 26 to 28 September
On the night of 26 September, security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets and used batons on protesters at Singjamei, PTI reported. Schools were shut, and curfew relaxations the next day excluded "any gathering/sit-in protests/rally" without approval PTI via Onmanorama.
On 27 September, students rallied from Hau grounds shouting "we want justice" and headed for the Chief Minister's bungalow. Police offered a meeting for student representatives, but, officials said, some students threw stones and the RAF fired tear gas PTI via Siasat. A student leader, Lanthengba, 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.
Student leader, Imphal, 27 September 2023 (PTI)
That night, crowds defying curfew clashed with security forces in several Imphal localities IANS via Morung Express. Police said an "unruly crowd" tried to attack "the house of a political leader", burnt a police vehicle and snatched a policeman's weapon The Quint.
On 28 September students were "more or less peaceful", IANS reported, but mobs burnt a BJP office in Thoubal and vehicles at an Imphal DC office IANS via Morung Express. Six student bodies marched peacefully to Raj Bhavan Deccan Herald. That night a mob tried to attack the Chief Minister's empty family home at Heingang; security forces said they stopped it The Quint.
How many were injured
No single official total was published. The reported figures:
- 45 on 26 September, mostly students, per officials quoted by PTI PTI via Onmanorama.
- At least 22 on 27 September and at least 83 over two days, per The Wire The Wire; at least 120 on 27 September, per The Quint The Quint.
- More than 60 over two days, per PTI PTI via ETV Bharat; at least 100, per IANS IANS via Morung Express.
- Over 200, per the Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur Deccan Herald, with at least 10 pellet injuries, per Deccan Herald's sources Deccan Herald.
A Shija Hospitals surgeon told Deccan Herald he removed pellets from shoulder and eye wounds, some fired at close range Deccan Herald.
Both accounts of the clashes
Protesters' account
The Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur said security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and batons on peaceful students Deccan Herald. Meitei groups, including COCOMI, alleged "brutal means", including pellet guns and pepper spray Claim · COCOMI and Meitei groups Deccan Herald.
Police and government account
Government's position Manipur Police said "miscreants" in the crowds "used iron pieces and stones (marbles)" against security forces, so "minimum force" was used and tear gas fired. It said 1,697 people were detained across districts for violations The Wire. Biren Singh promised an inquiry into reports of lethal weapons being used Deccan Herald, and police set up an IGP-led committee to examine the allegations and told central forces to use "minimum force" on students, while warning that "miscreants" would be dealt with sternly Deccan Herald.
The internet ban
On 26 September the state reimposed the mobile internet ban "with immediate effect" until 1 October, citing misinformation and rumours PTI via Onmanorama. It was extended in five-day steps through October Deccan Herald; the Home Department cited fears that social media would spread "images, hate speech and hate videos" PTI via Business Standard. It was lifted in most areas on 3 December 2023, two days after the Manipur High Court told the state it could not "obliterate the right", though towers within 2 km of some district boundaries stayed off Scroll.
Arrests and the Kuki groups' response
On 1 October 2023 the CBI, with the Army, paramilitary forces and state police, arrested two men, Paominlun Haokip and Smalsawm Haokip, and two women, Lhingneichong Baitekuki and Tinneilhing Henthang, in the Henglep area of Churachandpur and flew them to Guwahati. Two children travelling with them were handed to child protection officials in Assam PTI via Business Standard. Biren Singh said the government would seek "maximum punishment, including capital punishment" Scroll. A special court in Guwahati gave the CBI five days' custody, saying "prima facie" enough material existed PTI via The Daily Star.
Claim · Kuki Students Organisation The KSO said the two men were president and general secretary of its Leimata block unit and had no link to any militant group or the murder Madhyamam. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum called an indefinite shutdown from 2 October and demanded the suspects' release within 48 hours, and Churachandpur came to a standstill Tribune. The CBI and NIA said the arrests were based on evidence Sabrang.
In October the CBI arrested a 22-year-old, Paolunmang, in Pune and called him the "mastermind"; a Guwahati court sent him to CBI custody until 16 October PTI via Deccan Herald. His father told The Quint the charge was "far from the truth and quite baseless" The Quint.
The chargesheets and later court steps
In early January 2024 the CBI filed two chargesheets, one for each family's complaint, in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Guwahati, because the Supreme Court had moved Manipur trials there. The accused were named as Nohgin Baitekuki, Paolunmang, Smalsawn Haokip, Paominlun Haokip and Lhingneichang Deccan Herald. The CBI's statement said:
At that spot, the boy and the girl were intercepted and held captive by the accused who forcibly put the victims in a vehicle. They were taken to an undisclosed location and later on, were suspectedly killed.
CBI statement on the chargesheets, 2 January 2024 (Deccan Herald)
The CBI placed the interception at the Thas View Point area on Old Cachar Road. On 5 March 2024 Biren Singh told the Assembly that charges had been filed against five people. The girl's father said then that the bodies had still not been found and the last rites had not been performed NE Now.
A CBI court in Guwahati issued a non-bailable warrant on 26 June 2024 against Nokjaging Baite, alias Tiger, and later declared him a proclaimed offender. On 22 May 2026 Assam Rifles detained him in Ngathal village, Churachandpur, with two other cadres of the United Kuki National Army, and handed him to the CBI Ukhrul Times OdishaBytes. Reports spell his name differently, and we could not confirm whether he is the "Nohgin Baitekuki" named in the 2024 chargesheet.
Outcome and where things stand
- Arrests and charges: five arrested in October 2023; two chargesheets against five accused in January 2024; an absconding accused detained in May 2026.
- Trial: we found no published report of charges being framed, bail rulings or a verdict as of October 2026.
- Bodies: not found as of March 2024, the girl's father said; we found no verified later report of their recovery.
- Inquiry into force used: an IGP-led committee was set up; we found no published findings.
- Politics: Biren Singh resigned on 9 February 2025; President's Rule followed until 4 February 2026, when Y Khemchand Singh became Chief Minister PTI via Eastern Mirror.
Questions people ask
Why did students protest in Imphal in September 2023?
Photos circulated on 25 September 2023 showing two Meitei students, missing since 6 July, with armed men and then dead. Students demanded arrests, the return of the bodies and a meeting with the Chief Minister.
How many people were injured in the Imphal student protests?
Figures differ: 45 on 26 September per officials cited by PTI, at least 83 over two days per The Wire, and over 200 per student groups.
Who was arrested for the killing of the two students?
The CBI arrested four people in Churachandpur on 1 October 2023 and one in Pune, and charged five in January 2024. Kuki groups said some were innocent.
Has the trial started?
Chargesheets were filed in Guwahati in January 2024. We found no report of charges being framed or a verdict.
Sources
- Tribune: Viral pictures show 2 missing students killed; 2 armed men also seen, 26 Sept 2023
- The Wire: Two Manipur students who had gone missing in July killed, photos viral, 25 Sept 2023
- PTI via Onmanorama: Students clash with RAF, 45 injured, 27 Sept 2023
- PTI via Siasat: Students injured as protest in Imphal turns violent, 27 Sept 2023
- PTI via Deccan Herald: CBI team reaches Imphal, 27 Sept 2023
- Deccan Herald: Many injured as protest over students' killing intensifies, 27 Sept 2023
- The Wire: Over 80 people injured as protests continue in Imphal, 28 Sept 2023
- The Quint: Mob tries to attack CM Biren Singh's empty house, 28 Sept 2023
- IANS via Morung Express: Protests continue, cars burnt, two BJP offices attacked, 28 Sept 2023
- Deccan Herald: Student protests continue in Imphal Valley, 28 Sept 2023
- PTI via ETV Bharat: Parents request government to locate remains, 28 Sept 2023
- Deccan Herald: Students injured in pellet gun firing, 29 Sept 2023
- PTI via Business Standard: CBI arrests 4 people, 2 Oct 2023
- Scroll: Four arrested in connection with deaths of two Meitei students, 1 Oct 2023
- Madhyamam (citing The Hindu): CBI arrests four, Oct 2023
- Tribune: After turmoil, CBI arrests four, 2 Oct 2023
- Sentinel: CBI granted five-day custody of four accused, Oct 2023
- PTI via The Daily Star: CBI granted 5-day custody of 4 accused, 2 Oct 2023
- Tribune: Manipur district shuts down over arrests by CBI, 3 Oct 2023
- Sabrang: Manipur under shutdown as tribal organisations assert bias, 3 Oct 2023
- PTI via Deccan Herald: CBI arrests 'mastermind', 13 Oct 2023
- The Quint: CBI arrests 'mastermind' of two Meitei students' deaths, 14 Oct 2023
- Deccan Herald: Mobile internet ban extended till Oct 16, Oct 2023
- PTI via Business Standard: Mobile internet ban extended till Oct 31, 26 Oct 2023
- Scroll: Mobile internet restored in most areas, 3 Dec 2023
- PTI via Onmanorama: Mobile internet restored after over 4 months, 24 Sept 2023
- Deccan Herald: CBI files chargesheets against five, 2 Jan 2024
- NE Now: CBI files charges against five, 5 Mar 2024
- Ukhrul Times: CBI takes custody of prime suspect, May 2026
- OdishaBytes: Assam Rifles apprehend key accused, May 2026
- PTI via Eastern Mirror: President's rule revoked in Manipur, 4 Feb 2026