NEW DELHI, Nov 25: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Manipur government, directing them to submit a detailed update on the investigation into the killing of 10 people by security personnel during a firing incident at a CRPF camp in Jiribam district on November 11, 2024.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Atul S. Chandarkar said, “Issue notice for the limited purpose of finding out the outcome of the ongoing investigation by the National Investigation Agency, returnable on 12.01.2026…” The directive came after a brief hearing of submissions made by advocate Vishwajeet Singh, who represented the families of the deceased.
The families have alleged that the 10 individuals were innocent civilians with no links to extremist activities and were killed in a “fake encounter.” In contrast, the Manipur government had stated earlier that the deceased were suspected Kuki-Zo militants who launched an armed attack on the Borobekra police station and the nearby Jakuradhor CRPF post around 3 pm on November 11, 2024. During the exchange of fire, CRPF constable Sanjeev Kumar sustained a bullet injury.
The Borobekra police station is located about 27 km from Jiribam district headquarters. Several Kuki-Zo organisations had also claimed that 11 individuals from their community were killed in the incident, though the official toll stands at 10.
The case is among several being scrutinised under special monitoring mechanisms set up in the wake of the ethnic violence that rocked Manipur in 2023. On August 7, 2023, the Supreme Court had constituted a committee of three former women judges to oversee investigations carried out by the CBI and 42 state-appointed Special Investigation Teams (SITs) into cases including the widely condemned incident of two women being paraded naked. The Court had also ensured that the CBI team included officers from various states to restore “a sense of confidence” among the people of Manipur.
In an unprecedented move for the CBI, officers from outside the state were included in the probe team and supervised by an officer not belonging to the state, despite the agency typically drawing nearly 50 per cent of its personnel on deputation from various states and Union Territories.
