Six Meitei women and children were abducted and killed in Jiribam district in November 2023, their bodies later recovered from the Barak River. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe due to the sensitive nature of the crime amid ongoing ethnic conflict.
BY PC Bureau
July 28, 2025: The Manipur High Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a chargesheet within one month in connection with the brutal killing of six Meitei women and children in Jiribam district last November. The victims were abducted and later found dead in the Barak River.
The order was issued on July 24 by a division bench comprising Chief Justice K. Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh. The court examined two sealed progress reports submitted by the NIA but expressed concern over the delay in filing the chargesheet. It warned that any further inaction would be taken “seriously.”
The court also ordered that the sealed reports remain in the custody of the Registrar General of the High Court, citing the sensitive nature of the case. Although the contents of the reports were not made public, the bench acknowledged submissions from the Deputy Solicitor General of India and the Advocate General of Manipur, both of whom emphasized the urgency of progress.
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The directive came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Uripok Apunba Lup, a civil society group seeking timely justice and transparency in the case. Petitioners argued that despite nearly nine months passing since the incident, no concrete legal action had followed.
The NIA maintained that it was nearing completion of the investigation and was preparing to file the chargesheet. However, the court stressed the need for accountability and set the next hearing for August 25.
The Jiribam killings are among three major cases handed to the NIA from the district. The others include the alleged rape and burning of a Kuki-Zo woman on November 7, and the November 11 attack on a CRPF camp in Borobekra, where ten armed individuals were reportedly killed.
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The High Court’s latest directive underscores growing judicial pressure on central agencies to expedite justice in cases that have fueled ethnic tensions and shaken public confidence in law enforcement mechanisms in Manipur.
Background:
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Six Meitei women and children were abducted and killed in Jiribam district in November 2023, their bodies later recovered from the Barak River. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe due to the sensitive nature of the crime amid ongoing ethnic conflict.
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The Manipur High Court is monitoring the case via a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Uripok Apunba Lup, a local civil society group. The petitioners alleged lack of transparency and urgency in the investigation process.
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On July 24, the NIA submitted two sealed reports to the High Court detailing its progress. The reports will remain in court custody due to what the court termed “peculiar circumstances.”
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The court has expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of the investigation and warned the NIA that continued delay in filing a chargesheet would be “viewed seriously.” The agency has been directed to submit a complete chargesheet within one month.
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In addition to this case, the NIA is probing two other incidents in Jiribam from the same period — the alleged rape and immolation of a Kuki-Zo woman on November 7, and an armed attack on a CRPF post on November 11 that resulted in ten deaths.
