NIA takes over probe into killing of three Manipur church leaders

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe into the killing of three church leaders in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district in May, officials in Imphal said on Wednesday (June 24, 2026).

Armed miscreants ambushed two vehicles between Kotzin and Kotlen villages, killing three members of the Thadou Baptist Association on May 13. Their killing triggered a hostage crisis and a fresh round of ethnic tension between the Kuki and Naga communities.

The case was registered on the day of the ambush at New Keithelmanbi police station in Kangpokpi district.

Officials said the case was re-registered at the NIA’s Imphal unit on June 8, three days after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order to conduct the probe.

According to the NIA’s first information report (FIR), three members of the Kuki community died on the spot after the ambush, while four other occupants of the vehicles sustained bullet injuries.

The ethnic violence in Manipur began in May 2023 between the Kukis and the non-tribal Meiteis, the dominant community in the Imphal Valley. The conflict shifted to the hills between the Kukis and Nagas following a nocturnal brawl on February 7.

The conflicts have so far claimed more than 270 lives and displaced over 62,000 people.