The morning of July 6 turned into a series of nightmares for two families of the Meitei community when their children failed to return home. Seventeen-year-old Luwangbi Linthoingambi Hijam and 20-year-old Phijam Hemanjit Singh were last seen in Phabakchao Ikhai, a Kuki-dominated area.
For nearly two months, Luwangbi and Hemanjit’s families searched frantically with little help from the local police and government authorities. On September 23, their world collapsed as a series of photos of their children started circulating on social media platforms.
The first photo shows a visibly scared Luwangbi (in a white T-shirt) and Hemanjit (in a checked shirt holding a backpack) sitting while two armed men can be seen in the background. The second photo shows their dead bodies.
On Monday, September 25, a report by The Wire confirmed their deaths. The families have been inconsolable ever since.
What happened on July 6
Soon after the BJP-led state government allowed educational institutions to reopen, Luwangbi went to attend her physics and chemistry classes at a coaching centre. Luwangbi’s father Hijam Kulajit Singh would usually pick up and drop off his daughter but on the fateful day of July 6, he was unwell.
But Luwangbi did not return home. “Her coaching started at 5 am and ended at 8:15 am. I used to drop her off and pick her up from the coaching, but that was the day when I didn’t go to pick her up, and since then, she has been missing. I curse myself for not going to pick my daughter,” The Wire quoted Hijam Kulajit.
In the case of Hemantjit, he informed his family that he was going to watch a football match and never returned.
A report by The Wire says both families initially thought their children had eloped as CCTV cameras captured them travelling on a bike.
A case of abduction was registered against Hemantijit. However, the local police failed to locate the youngsters.
Luwangbi’s family approached the chairperson of the Manipur Commission as well as the chairperson of the National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma but received a lukewarm response.
Hemantjit’s father Phijam Ibungobi Singh met chief minister N Biren Singh, Governor Anusuiya Uikey, local MLA Sapam Kunjakeshor, and security advisor Kuldeep Singh, but everyone failed to help the families.
Two months of futile search
Only on the following day, July 7, a cybercrime report came in stating the last location of the boy and girl was found in Phabakchao Ikhai, a Kuki-dominant area.
With little response from the local police, the two families decided to take matters into their own hands and met at Hemantjit’s residence.
Hemantjit’s father Phijam Ibungobi Singh tried to call his son but the phone was switched off.
The families reached the concerned police station where their children’s last location was recorded. However, the police refused to investigate stating the area was Kuki-dominant and ‘they were scared to go’.
However, after 3-4 days, Phijam Ibungobi was able to contact his son’s mobile only to hear a stranger’s voice.
“After three to four days, my son’s mobile phone turned on but with a new SIM card. There was an unknown voice who asked, ‘Who is there? What do you want?’. I disconnected the call,” an emotional Phijam Ibungobi told The Wire. The location of the SIM card was in Churachandpur district.
Not a happy ending
On September 23, the families started receiving photos of their children only to find out that they were dead. The pictures were taken on July 8, two days after Luwangbi and Hemantjit went missing.
“Our entire family broke down upon seeing those pictures. I still can’t believe that his life ended like this,” said Phijam Ibungobi.
Although there was less support from the state government, police and the National Commission for Women, there was still a glimmer of hope that one day, their children would return home safely.
Centre should be ashamed: Priyanka Gandhi
Responding to the viral photos, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that horrific crimes are being allowed to continue unabated in the state and said that the Centre should be ashamed of its “inaction”.
Hours after the photos of the bodies of two students, who had been missing since July, went viral on social media, the Manipur government asked people to exercise restraint and allow authorities to investigate the “kidnapping and killing” of the duo. The two students were identified as Phijam Hemjit, 20, and Hijam Linthoingambi, 17.
In a post on X, 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 general secretary said.
In a statement issued by the secretariat of Chief Minister N Biren Singh late on Monday night, the state government said the case has already been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
