The Manipur government has decided to hand over the investigation into the gunning down of a 17-year-old Class XII student in Kangpokpi district on March 25 to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) “in the public interest”.

The decision saw family members finally claim the body of the deceased Seigunlal Misao on Monday morning.

The family had refused to claim the body in protest after a militant outfit — National Revolutionary Front, Manipur (NRFM) — claimed responsibility for the death as Seigunlal was allegedly involved in drug peddling.

The rebel group’s allegation was not only condemned but sparked off a series of protests seeking the immediate arrest of those involved and handing over the case to a central agency.

Two motorcycle-borne unidentified assailants had shot Seigunlal around 8pm near his residence at Motbung village.

The Manipur police in a one-paragraph media release, issued on Sunday night, announced the government’s decision to hand over the probe to the NIA for “expeditious investigation and early disposal of the case in the public interest”.

The decision was announced on Sunday night after a meeting between chief minister N. Biren Singh and members of the joint action committee, set up soon after the killing to seek justice for the deceased.

“It is a relief for the family but justice is yet to be delivered. We hope justice will be delivered in due course,” a family member said after claiming the body from a government hospital in Imphal on Monday.