Manipur: National Investigation Agency makes first arrest in January killings

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested the first person connected with the killing of four people in Manipur’s Bishnupur district in January 2024. The person, Lunminsei Kipgen @ Langinmang @ Mang Levi, a resident of Manipur, was arrested from Guwahati Central Jail, where he was lodged in another case, in connection with the killing of four civilians in Manipur’s Bishnupur district.

Lunminsei Kipgen was formally arrested by the NIA from the Central Jail, located in Guwahati’s Lokhra, under relevant sections of the UA (P) Act and the Arms Act, NIA sources here said.

The NIA stated that he is the first accused to be arrested for the gruesome killings that took place on January 18, 2024, when armed miscreants brutally murdered four civilians near the water treatment plant located at Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou, in the Bishnupur district. The assailants had opened indiscriminate fire from sophisticated weapons, leading to the tragic deaths of the civilians on that fateful afternoon in January, the sources said.

NIA had registered a case (RC-01/2024/NIA/IMP) regarding the incident on February 9, 2024. It was found during the investigation that Lunminsei Kipgen was actively involved in the fatal attack, which was part of the ongoing ethnic unrest and violence in Manipur. Previously known to be a cadre of the Kuki militant outfit KNF (P), Kipgen had joined another Kuki militant organisation, the United Kuki National Army (UKNA), during the current spate of violence and had participated in the ghastly killings of innocent people.

According to sources, Dispur Police picked up Kipgen from a hotel in the Hengerabari area of the city in March, where he was found with gunshot wounds. The NIA was actively on the trail of Kipgen and had requested that the Dispur Police apprehend him. NIA sources further stated that investigations in the case are continuing.

Scores of people were killed during the unrest between two communities that shook the Northeastern state since May 2023, when violence erupted. Sporadic incidents of violence are still reported from Manipur, despite the presence of central and paramilitary forces.

 Also Read: 2 CRPF personnel killed in attack by armed group in Manipur (sentinelassam.com)

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