The Manipur HC has directed the NIA to submit a detailed progress report on the Jiribam killings of November 2024, where six Meitei women and children were brutally murdered. The court expressed concern over the lack of progress and scheduled the next hearing for July 24, 2025.
The Manipur High Court has ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to submit a “detailed progress report” in the form of a charge sheet regarding the case, which involved the brutal murder of three Meitei women and three children, allegedly by militants.
The directive came from a division bench comprising Chief Justice Kempaiah Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Soram Tekendrajit. The High Court expressed deep concern over the “lack of progress” in the investigation and emphasized the urgency of filing charges.
The incident in question occurred on November 11, 2024, when three women and three children, including a 10-month-old infant, belonging to the Meitei community, were abducted from the Borobekra area of Jiribam district, bordering Assam. Their bullet-riddled bodies were discovered on separate dates in the Barak River, which flows along the Manipur-Assam border.
During the hearing, senior Public Prosecutor-cum-Counsel for Government (PCCG) representing the NIA, W. Darakeshwor, appeared physically before the court. He acknowledged the seriousness of the matter and requested a short accommodation to submit a comprehensive progress report in the form of a charge sheet.
The court took serious note of the absence of any official progress under Section 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). “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 the provisions of Section 167 of the Cr PC, and no charge has been filed in the rank of the authority,” the court order stated.
The bench further observed that although more than seven months have passed since the killings, no substantial action has been taken by the NIA. “If the charge-sheet is not filed, this matter should be viewed seriously,” the court warned, clearly indicating its discontent with the prolonged delay.
The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for July 24, 2025, and directed the NIA to file the necessary report before that date. The bench expects that the report will shed light on the investigation’s findings, including the identification of suspects, evidence collection, and any possible arrests made so far.
The November 11 incident triggered widespread violence in Manipur, particularly in Jiribam and surrounding districts. Apart from the six Meitei victims, two civilians were also killed during the assault, and several homes were set ablaze, plunging the region into chaos. The attack, suspected to have been carried out by Kuki militants, exacerbated existing ethnic tensions in the state.
Local civil society organizations, human rights activists, and political leaders have repeatedly called for a swift and impartial investigation into the killings. The delay in filing the charge sheet has raised questions about the efficiency and commitment of the central investigative agency in dealing with sensitive and communal cases in the region.
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Several human rights groups have demanded that the central government and NIA treat the case as a priority, not only for justice to the victims but also to restore faith among the affected communities.
As the state continues to grapple with law and order issues and ethnic violence, the High Court’s intervention is being seen as a strong step toward accountability and justice. With the next hearing just weeks away, all eyes are now on the NIA to deliver a thorough and transparent report.
