Amid caste violence in Manipur, a Meitei youth who was visiting his Kuki girlfriend was shot dead. The video of the murder was also released. NIA will now investigate this matter.
The situation in Manipur still remains tense due to enmity between the Kuki and Meitei communities. There is a deep dispute going on between these two communities since 2023 regarding land, identity and Scheduled Tribe status. In such a situation, a heart-wrenching incident took place in Manipur, where a Meitei youth who was in love with a Kuki girl was shot with his hands and legs tied when he came to meet his girlfriend.
The name of the killed 31 year old youth is Rishikant, who had come to meet his girlfriend. When he went to meet his Kuki girlfriend in Churachandpur, a group of criminals kidnapped him and shot him dead in front of the camera. Rishikant was kidnapped and murdered on Wednesday evening, which has again increased tension in Manipur. Police said that around 6:30 pm on Wednesday evening, Rishikant was kidnapped by armed miscreants from his girlfriend’s house in Tuibong of Churachandpur district. A few hours later, his body was found near Natajung village in the district.
Although the miscreants who murdered him have not been identified yet, a case has been registered and a search operation has been launched to nab the accused. Rishikant worked as an engineer in a company in Nepal. He had met his girlfriend before Christmas and was staying at her house in Churachandpur since December 19.
The miscreants have released a video on social media of him being shot, in which he is seen begging for his life. Despite this, the miscreants shot him twice. At the end of the video, the accused have given the message ‘No Peace, No Popular Government’, which means ‘No peace, no popular government’.
Large-scale protests took place in his village, Khunau in Kakching district, on Thursday against the death of Rishikant. People blocked Wabagai-Sugnu road. It is being told that the couple had taken permission from the Kuki National Organization (KNO), a central organization of Kuki insurgent groups, to stay in Churachandpur. However, KNO has denied any role in Rishikant’s murder.
The post-mortem of slain Rishikant was done on Thursday in Churachandpur itself. Since his family could not go to Churachandpur, they identified the body through video call. Kakching’s SP L Priyadarshini met the family and facilitated the identification process. Manipur Lok Bhavan has informed that Governor A.K. Bhalla informed a delegation led by Lok Sabha MP Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoizam that the case is being handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a thorough and impartial investigation.