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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the investigation into the killing of three church leaders in Manipur's Kangpokpi district last month, officials said on Wednesday, June 24.

The three deceased, members of the Thadou Baptist Association (TBA), were killed on May 13 when suspected militants ambushed two vehicles in which they were travelling. Four others sustained bullet injuries in the attack.

According to the NIA's First Information Report (FIR), armed miscreants opened fire on the vehicles at Zero Point, between the Kotzim and Kotlern areas, while the occupants were returning to Kangpokpi from Churachandpur after attending a religious congregation.

The FIR stated that three members of the Kuki community died on the spot, while four other occupants of the vehicles were injured.

The Manipur Police had registered a case on the day of the incident. The NIA subsequently re-registered the case following directions from the Union Home Ministry and has begun its investigation.

In its order transferring the case to the agency, the Home Ministry said the incident involved an ambush by armed miscreants intended to cause loss of life and property and create fear and terror among civilians. It said the gravity of the offence, its wider ramifications and the need to uncover any larger conspiracy warranted an investigation by the NIA.

The attack occurred amid the continuing ethnic conflict in Manipur, which has witnessed widespread violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023.

The violence has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced thousands of people, making it one of the most prolonged periods of unrest in the State's recent history.