Imphal: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted two sealed progress reports to the Manipur High Court in connection with the Jiribam case, where six women and children from the Meitei community were abducted and later found dead in the Barak River in November 2024.
The High Court, while taking the reports on record, directed the NIA to file a detailed chargesheet within one month. A division bench comprising Chief Justice K. Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh observed that a significant amount of time had passed since the incident, yet no chargesheet had been filed.
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During the July 24 hearing, the NIA presented its investigation status in two sealed covers. The court noted that, given the “peculiar facts and circumstances” of the case and submissions made by both the NIA and the State’s Advocate General, the reports would be kept in safe custody with the court Registrar until further orders.
Although the court did not elaborate on what these “peculiar circumstances” were, it acknowledged the concerns raised by the Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI), who appeared for the NIA, and the Advocate General of Manipur.
The bench made it clear that if further progress is not made, the matter will be treated with seriousness. The DSGI informed the court that the NIA is in the final stages of its investigation and intends to file the chargesheet soon. Petitioners in the case, representing the civil society group Uripok Apunba Lup, argued that little action appeared to have been taken since the filing of the FIR.
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The court scheduled the next hearing for August 25.
The case stems from a Public Interest Litigation filed by Uripok Apunba Lup, a coalition of local clubs, demanding a fair and timely investigation into the killings.Following the November 2024 violence in Jiribam district, the NIA also took up two additional cases — one involving the alleged rape and burning of a Kuki-Zo woman on November 7, and another related to an attack on a CRPF post on November 11 that resulted in the deaths of 10 armed individuals.