The horrifying details of the massacre of six members of a Meitei family in Manipur’s Jiribam district are slowly emerging, painting a grim picture of the ongoing violence in the region. Autopsy reports, completed on three of the victims, confirm a brutal and senseless attack, revealing multiple gunshot wounds and severe lacerations across their bodies. The findings leave little doubt about the savagery inflicted upon the victims.
The report for three-year-old Chingkheinganba Singh is particularly heartbreaking. It details a missing right eye and a gunshot wound to the skull. Beyond this horrific trauma, the report also notes cut wounds, chest fractures, and lacerations on his forearm and other parts of his small body. The condition of the child’s body, described as being in a state of decomposition when examined on November 17th, further underscores the delay in the recovery and identification of the remains.
The autopsy also sheds light on the injuries sustained by the child’s mother, 25-year-old L Heitonbi Devi. The report lists three bullet wounds in her chest and one in her buttock. Adding to the tragedy, her body was only brought to the Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) in Assam’s Cachar district on November 18th, approximately seven days after her death. This delay undoubtedly hinders the investigative process.
The child’s grandmother, 60-year-old Y Rani Devi, suffered equally brutal injuries. The autopsy report documents five gunshot wounds – one in the skull, two in the chest, one in the abdomen, and one in an arm. Her body arrived at SMCH on November 17th, three to five days after her death. Both women also displayed deep lacerations on various parts of their bodies. Crucially, the cause of death for both Rani Devi and the child remains undetermined, pending the chemical analysis of viscera samples at the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Guwahati.
The post-mortem examinations for the remaining three victims – another woman and two children – are still pending. All six individuals went missing from a relief camp following a November 11th gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants. Their bodies were subsequently discovered in the Jiri river in Jiribam district and the nearby Barak river in Assam’s Cachar district over several days. The events highlight the continuing cycle of violence and the desperate need for lasting peace in the region. The brutal nature of this crime demands a thorough investigation and swift justice for the victims and their families.
