The court expressed deep concern over the seven-month delay in the investigation and warned of serious consequences if the NIA fails to act.
BY PC Bureau
July 8, 2025 — The Manipur High Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to submit a detailed progress report, including a charge sheet, in connection with the abduction and brutal killing of six Meitei civilians in Jiribam district last November.
The directive, issued Monday by a division bench of Chief Justice K. Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh, came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by activist Soram Tekendrajit, citing unexplained delays in the investigation.
The victims—three women and three children—were abducted from their home in the Borobekra area on November 11, 2024, amid rising ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Their bodies were discovered four days later, three floating in the Barak River and three others stuffed in gunny bags.
Among the deceased were 68-year-old Yurembam Rani Devi, shot five times; 25-year-old Laishram Heitombi Devi, who sustained four gunshot wounds; and two-year-old Laishram Chingkhei Nganba Singh, who was shot in the face and suffered blunt force trauma. A 10-month-old infant was also among the victims.
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The bench expressed serious concern over the lack of progress despite an FIR being registered on the day of the incident. It noted that no charge sheet or substantial update had been filed even after more than seven months. “The delay is a matter of grave concern,” the court observed, granting the NIA time until July 24, 2025 to file its findings. It also warned that failure to do so would be viewed seriously.
Hope they get the justice soon
It is been more than half a year, the chargesheet has not been filedThe high court of Manipur has directed @NIA_India to submit detailed report and chargesheet regarding abduction and killing of 6 women and children in Jiribam in last November.… https://t.co/Hl8o69q2cp pic.twitter.com/9dto1PTeUt
— BoNET🇮🇳 (@bonetsep) July 8, 2025
The PIL, also backed by the civil society group Uripok Apunba Lup, calls for justice and swift prosecution of those responsible. The case has sparked public outrage, with many on social media platform X slamming the NIA’s inaction.
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The NIA took over the probe in November 2024 following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is also investigating two related incidents: the alleged rape and burning of a Kuki-Zo woman in Jiribam on November 7, and the November 11 attack on a CRPF post in Borobekra, in which 10 suspected militants were reportedly killed.
So far, no arrests have been made in the case, adding to the growing pressure on the agency. The Jiribam killings have become a flashpoint in Manipur’s ongoing ethnic conflict, which has left more than 260 dead and displaced tens of thousands since May 2023.
