Imphal: Kuki-Zo civil society organisations have strongly criticised the conferring of a gallantry award on a CRPF officer for his role in foiling a militant attack in Manipur’s Jiribam district, an operation in which 10 people were killed.
In a statement, the Churachandpur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) said it was “appalled” by the Union government’s decision to award a gallantry medal to a CRPF assistant commandant, alleging that those killed in the incident were Kuki-Zo tribal men.
The reaction came on a day Vipin Wilson, an assistant commandant of the CRPF, was given the Shaurya Chakra on the Republic Day, in recognition of the operation against “armed persons” in Jiribam on November 11, 2024.
According to official accounts, insurgents dressed in camouflage and armed with sophisticated weapons launched an indiscriminate firing attack on a police station and an adjoining CRPF camp in Jiribam district. Security forces retaliated, resulting in a fierce gunfight in which 10 suspected militants were killed.
After the operation, the security forces had claimed that the 10 were killed after they attacked a CRPF camp following the killing of a woman teacher belonging to the Hmar community, who was killed allegedly by the Meitei miscreants
In a post on X on Sunday, the CRPF said: “Saluting the indomitable spirit of AC Vipin Wilson. On 11 Nov 2024, he led a CRPF QAT to foil a camp attack by insurgents in Manipur, neutralizing 10 of them. For his unparalleled bravery, he is conferred with the Shaurya Chakra this Republic Day.”
However, the ITLF disputed the official version of events, claiming that the 10 individuals killed were “tribal village volunteers” who had gone to Jiribam to protect their community amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. The forum said the men were “mercilessly gunned down” by CRPF personnel and asserted that the decision to open fire was taken against individuals who were not militants.
Condemning the award “in the strongest terms”, the ITLF said honouring the officer amounted to legitimising violence against tribal community members.
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) also denounced the conferring of the gallantry award and demanded the “immediate revocation of the Shaurya Chakra and all related commendations” awarded to the officer and his team.
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Demanding revocation of the gallantry award, KOHUR said, “By conferring a gallantry award for this act on Republic Day, the government of India commits a profound betrayal of constitutional values and demonstrates contempt for the lives of Kuki-Zo people.”
