NIA launches probe into Manipur violence cases
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has officially launched investigations into three major cases related to the recent spate of violence in Manipur, including the immolation of a tribal woman, the November 11 encounter between CRPF and suspected militants as well as the kidnapping and murder of six members of a Meitei family.
The anti-terror agency re-registered the three cases on November 13 after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decided to hand over these to it considering the gravity of the offences, amid escalating violence in the strife-torn state and with a view to unearthing the larger conspiracy behind the brutal attacks.
In the first case on November 11, several houses were burnt and two civilians were killed in Manipur’s Borobekra in Jiribam. Later, unknown militants abducted and murdered six members of a family, including three women and three children, whose bodies were subsequently found floating in a river along the Manipur-Assam border.
The incident took place when some armed militants fired at Borobekra police station as well as some houses and shops at Jakuradhor Karong. The police and CRPF personnel at Borobekra police station retaliated, leading to a heavy exchange of fire. Subsequent search operations led to the recovery of two dead bodies inside burnt houses at Jakuradhor Karong.
The second case in which NIA has initiated a probe is linked to the November 11 attack on a CRPF post at Jakuradhor Karong and Borobekra police stations, Jiribam, by armed militants. In an ensuing encounter, 10 suspected militants were killed. Tribal outfits in the state have alleged that they were village volunteers.
The third case relates to the murder of a woman at Jiribram by armed militants. The incident took place on November 7 when a 31-year-old tribal woman and a mother of three was raped and burnt alive at her residence by militants. The militants had attacked her village and burnt down several houses.
NIA teams had visited the spots on November 21 and 22 and started the probe. The process of handing over case documents from the local police to the NIA was currently underway, sources said.
