North Lakhimpur, July 14 -- Police on Monday detained five friends of a college student who died under unclear circumstances during a picnic at the Sesa River, near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, even as villagers staged a protest demanding a thorough investigation into the death.

The deceased was identified as Nilutpal Mili, a first-semester BA student of Bihpuria College and a resident of Miri Gaon in Bangalmora. According to police, Mili had travelled to the Sesa River on Sunday along with five friends - Pranjal Debnath, Arian Debnath, Sumit Das, Dibyajyoti Bora and Biswajit Bora, on two-wheelers. His companions brought him to the Bangalmora Police Outpost later that night, where he was declared brought dead, police said.

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