NIA nabs key accused in massacre of Meitei women, children that shook Manipur

In a long-overdue breakthrough in one of Manipur’s most harrowing tragedies, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested the alleged mastermind behind the brutal killing of six Meitei women and children that sent shockwaves through the state last November.

Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya, described by the NIA as a “key conspirator,” was apprehended from Assam’s Cachar district bordering Manipur’s Jiribam by a joint team of NIA and Assam Police. Officials also recovered a mobile phone and SIM card believed to contain critical evidence.

The arrest marks the first major headway in the case after months of inaction that prompted public outrage and judicial scrutiny. According to the NIA, Boya played an active role in orchestrating and executing the November 11 massacre, when a relief camp in Borobekra, Jiribam – housing displaced Meitei families – was stormed by armed assailants, allegedly from the Hmar community.

Despite the camp being adjacent to a CRPF post and a police station, the attackers abducted six members of a single family — a woman, her two daughters, and three grandchildren aged eight, two, and under one. Their bodies were later found in the Barak river. Two men were also killed in the assault, while ten of the attackers were neutralized by security forces.

The grisly killings sparked statewide protests and further exposed the deepening ethnic fault lines in Manipur, already on edge due to ongoing violence. The case was transferred to the NIA soon after, but public confidence waned as no arrests were made for months.

That changed recently after the Manipur High Court expressed deep dissatisfaction over the lack of progress and ordered the NIA to submit a sealed progress report and expedite its investigation. The agency, subsequently, was ordered to file a chargesheet within a month.

The arrest of Boya comes amid mounting calls for justice from the Meitei community and growing pressure on central agencies to deliver accountability in cases of ethnic violence that continue to haunt the northeastern state. The NIA has said its investigation is ongoing and further arrests are likely.