IMPHAL, Dec 4: The Manipur High Court has ordered the formation of a four-member committee to investigate the disappearance of a 56-year-old man, Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who went missing from the Leimakhong Military Station in Kangpokpi district on November 25.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice Golmei Gaiphulsillu Kabui issued the order on Tuesday. The court suggested that the committee include the District Magistrate of Kangpokpi, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kangpokpi, the SP of Imphal West, and the Commanding Officer of the 57 Mountain Division. The District Magistrate will head the committee, which has been tasked with submitting a detailed report on the case by December 11, the date of the next hearing.

The High Court directed the committee to investigate whether Singh was abducted from the camp or fled on his own. It also emphasized the importance of cooperation from the petitioner’s family, instructing the committee head to notify family members for participation in the inquiry. The court noted that the family must provide any available materials or records that could aid the investigation.

Singh, a native of Cachar district in Assam and a resident of Khukrul in Imphal West, worked as a supervisor for a contractor affiliated with the Military Engineering Services (MES) at the Leimakhong Military Station. His younger brother, Laishram Brajabanshi Singh, filed a writ petition on November 27, alleging that Kamalbabu was abducted by militants from the high-security zone.