Manipur violence: NIA arrests another militant involved in 2024 brutal killing of woman in Jiribam

Manipur: In connection with the harrowing murder of a woman and burning and looting of houses, that shook Manipur's Jiribam last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday, arrested one more militant. The militant is a native of Jiribam district of the northeastern state.

Rajkumar Maipaksana, a resident of Jiribam district, has been arrested in Kerala’s Kannur district and granted transit remand by the NIA Special Court in Kochi for his transfer to the NIA Court in Imphal.

As per the official statement, Rajkumar is linked to the banned insurgent outfit, the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK). He was among the key perpetrators of the crime, in which a woman, Zosangkim, was massacred and several houses were set afire and looted in Zairawn village in November 2024.

Other militants arrested

Last week, the national agency had arrested two other accused, belonging to different militant outfits, in connection with the same case. The agency is continuing with its investigations and is hunting for other accused in the case, as per NIA's release.

Details of the arrested militants

One of the arrested, Nongthombam Meiraba, a resident of Bishnupur district and a member of the banned insurgent group United National Liberation Front (UNLF), was directly involved in the fatal shooting of a woman identified as Zosangkim, reported PTI, quoting sources.

Another accused, Sagolsem Sanatomba—also known by his aliases Surchandra Singh and Piba—from Thoubal district, was reportedly associated with the proscribed insurgent group Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL). He is believed to have been part of the group that carried out the violent attack in Zairawn village.

Manipur violence: Tensions reignite

Tensions reignited across several districts of Manipur in November 2024, as violence once again cast its shadow over the strife-torn state. Officials said a woman working in the paddy fields was gunned down by suspected hills-based militants in the Bishnupur district of Manipur.

The incident unfolded in the quiet, agrarian landscape of Saiton. At dawn, as the woman and a group of farmers made their way into the fields to tend to their crops, opened fire from hill-based positions on the low-lying farmlands in Imphal Valley. The militants, hidden in the terrain above the Imphal Valley, opened fire without warning, sending panic through the farmers below, according to reports from news agency PTI.

What began as a routine day of harvesting quickly descended into chaos, once again highlighting the dangerous intersection of livelihood and conflict in the region.