Autopsy report of Manipur family says victims were shot multiple times before bodies dumped in river

The autopsy report of three of the six members of a Meitei family who were allegedly abducted by armed militants during an encounter with security forces in Jiribam district of Manipur on November 11, 2024, reveals that they were shot multiple times before their bodies were dumped in a river.

The autopsy report of three of the six members of a Meitei family who were allegedly abducted by armed militants during an encounter with security forces in Jiribam district of Manipur on November 11, 2024 reveals that they were shot multiple times before their bodies were dumped in a river.

The report said that one of the victims, a 3-year-old boy, had a bullet wound on his chin and his right eye was “missing”. The body had several lacerations, indicating injuries by a blunt object, and was infested with maggots when brought for post mortem, the report said.

After the family was abducted by armed militants, their highly decomposed bodies were found floating in a river in Lakhipur district in neighbouring Assam on different days — November 15, November 17 and November 18.

A photograph of the victims, who were said to be missing, where they were seen huddled together in a forested area circulated on social media on November 12, 2024, confirming the abductions.

The photograph was first posted on Facebook and police or the investigating agencies are yet to reveal who the account belonged to. The probe was handed over to the National Investigation Agency on November 18, 2024. An NIA team visited Jiribam last week.

The autopsies were done at Silchar Medical College in Assam.

The boy’s mother had two bullet wounds on her back, while his grandmother suffered five bullet wounds and the bodies were in a highly decomposed state.