The SC on Monday directed the NIA to file a detailed status report on its probe into the alleged extra-judicial killings of ten Kuki-Zo tribal youth in Manipur’s Jiribam district last November.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI, November 25, 2025: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a detailed status report on its probe into the alleged extra-judicial killings of ten Hmar (Kuki-Zo ) tribal youth in Manipur’s Jiribam district — an incident that took place in November last year, nearly eighteen months after ethnic violence first tore through the state.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and A.S. Chandurkar took note of the petition filed by five members of the Kuki-Zo community, who sought a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the grounds that no substantial progress had been made in the case for over a year.
While the Bench declined to order a fresh SIT, observing that the NIA — “one of the country’s premier investigative agencies” — was already conducting the probe, it nevertheless acknowledged the petitioners’ concerns and directed the agency to submit a comprehensive update on the investigation.
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Petitioners Say They Cannot Access Manipur HC Due to Safety Fears
The petitioners argued that approaching the Manipur High Court was not an option, citing a pervasive fear of reprisals.
They told the court that as members of a minority tribal community “at loggerheads with the majority,” they faced constant threats to their “life and property.” With the High Court located in Imphal, they claimed it was physically unsafe for them to travel there amid the prolonged ethnic fault lines that continue to polarise the state.
Their plea said the absence of safe legal access had deepened the community’s sense of vulnerability and had left them “with no remedy except approaching the Supreme Court.”
The petition has been filed by Mrs. Vanrampani (56) of Khopuibung village along with four other family members: Vanlalsung (50) of Thenmoul, Albert Amo (39) of Ngwete, Lal Ramthang (63) of Thenmoul, and Lal Huolkim (60) of Ngurte in Churachandpur district. They accuse Manipur Police commandos and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel of executing the youths inside the CRPF camp adjacent to Borobekra police station in Jiribam on November 11, 2024, followed by the brutal mutilation of the bodies.
The Incident: Petitioner Alleges Police and CRPF Fire Killed Ten Tribal Volunteers
According to the petition, the incident occurred when ten men from the Hmar sub-tribe of the Kuki-Zo community — who described themselves as volunteer relief workers from Churachandpur — travelled to the CRPF-protected Borobekra police station compound in Jiribam district.
They reportedly arrived to discuss security concerns after attacks on several tribal villages the previous day.
The petition alleges that:
- As the group was leaving the CRPF premises, a Manipur Police commando stationed inside the compound allegedly opened fire at them.
- Amid the resulting chaos, it was “rumoured” that a CRPF soldier opened fire from an LMG, which the petitioners claim resulted in the deaths of several among the group, including all ten victims named in the plea.
- Post-mortem examinations at Silchar Medical College & Hospital—conducted on 12 and 14 November 2024—documented:
- Multiple close-range gunshot wounds
- Blackening and abrasion collars, indicating shots fired from less than 2 feet
- Lacerations, blunt trauma, smashed bones, and signs of torture
- Injuries inconsistent with combat, but consistent with execution
- Examples include:
- Lalthanel (22): penetrating gunshot wounds with blackening, muscle-deep lacerations.
- Roulnelsang (30): 18 external wounds, bullets piercing vital organs, and a retrieved fragment.
- Joseph Lalditum (19): perforated lungs, lacerated ventricles, crushed finger bones—typical of close-quarters killing.
The families of the deceased alleged that no transparent or time-bound criminal investigation has taken place, even though the killings were widely reported by community networks at the time.
Court Declines SIT for Now, but Demands Accountability
At Monday’s hearing, the Supreme Court said it would not immediately intervene to restructure the investigation, but it pressed the NIA to demonstrate progress and credibility.
“The NIA is already seized of the matter. Let us first see the progress made by the agency,” the Bench observed.
The court’s directive signals that while it is unwilling to supplant the existing investigation machinery at this stage, it does expect greater transparency from the central agency.
The NIA will now be required to place on record:
- Steps taken since the case was handed over,
- Evidence collected,
- Statements recorded,
- Forensic findings,
- And the anticipated timeline for completion of the probe.
The next hearing is expected to examine whether the agency’s actions so far reflect due diligence or whether further judicial intervention is warranted.
