IMPHAL, July 8: The High Court of Manipur has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to submit a comprehensive progress report, including a charge sheet, in the case related to the brutal abduction and killing of six Meitei civilians—three women and three children—in Jiribam district in November last year.
The directive was issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice K. Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Soram Tekendrajit. The court voiced concern over the lack of progress in the investigation, despite the FIR being registered on the day of the incident—November 11, 2024.
The gruesome crime involved the abduction of six members of a family from the Borobekra area of Jiribam. Four days later, their bodies were found—three floating in the Barak River and three others stuffed inside gunny bags. The victims included a 10-month-old baby and a 68-year-old woman, all bearing signs of brutal torture and multiple gunshot wounds.
Among the victims was two-year-old Laishram Chingkhei Nganba Singh, who was found with a gunshot wound to the face and signs of blunt force trauma. His mother, Laishram Heitombi Devi (25), had been shot four times, while the eldest victim, Yurembam Rani Devi (68), suffered five gunshot wounds. The incident, which also saw two other civilians killed and multiple homes burned, had sparked widespread outrage and demands for justice.
During Monday’s hearing, the bench highlighted that it has been over seven months since the incident, yet no status report or chargesheet has been submitted by the NIA under Section 167 of the CrPC. The court termed the delay as “a matter of serious concern” and granted the agency additional time following its request. The next hearing is scheduled for July 24.
