NIA Files Charges Against 3 PLA Terrorists for Fatal Assam Rifles Ambush in Manipur

NEW DELHI, March 18, 2026 — The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has achieved a major milestone in the pursuit of justice for the 2025 Manipur security attacks by filing a formal chargesheet against three active cadres of the proscribed People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The charges, presented before the NIA Special Court in Imphal, name Thongram Sadananda Singh (alias Ngachik), Khundongbam Oji Meitei (alias Keilal), and Irengbam Jugindra Meitei (alias Jugin Meitei) as the primary perpetrators behind a deadly ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy.

The accused face a litany of serious charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following their earlier arrest by law enforcement agencies.

The investigation centers on a violent assault that occurred in September 2025 at the Nambol Sabal Leikai crossing in the Bishnupur district. According to the NIA, the PLA cadres, armed with prohibited firearms and explosives, intercepted a truck belonging to the 33 Assam Rifles as part of a broader conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India and destabilize the region.

The brutal ambush resulted in the tragic deaths of two paramilitary personnel and left five others with grievous injuries. The NIA, which officially took over the probe from local police in November 2025, maintains that the attack was a deliberate act of terror designed to strike fear into the local population and disrupt national security.