Manipur High Court asks NIA to submit progress report on Jiribam killings

Guwahati: Manipur High Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to submit a detailed progress report on the Jiribam killings involving the deaths of three women and three children belonging to the Meitei community in November last year.

A bench comprising chief justice K Somasekhar and justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh issued a directive on Monday after hearing a PIL filed by one Soram Tekendrajit and noted that "if the charge sheet is not filed, the matter should be viewed seriously". The court expressed concern over the apparent lack of progress in the investigation.

"An FIR was registered on the same day by the competent authority. However, to date, no progress report has been submitted by the investigating agency under Section 167 of the CrPC, and no charge sheet has been filed," the court observed.


"It has been more than seven months since the incident occurred. If the charge sheet is not filed, the matter should be viewed seriously," it observed. The court directed NIA to submit a detailed progress report and scheduled the next hearing for July 24.

Three Meitei women and three children, including an infant, were abducted on November 11 from Borobekra area in Jiribam district and their bullet-riddled bodies were recovered from Barak river along the Manipur-Assam border on November 15.

On November 26, 2024, NIA, acting on the Union Ministry of Home Affairs' directions, launched investigations into the three cases. The anti-terror agency re-registered three cases afresh after MHA decided to hand over the investigation to NIA.