New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Manipur government to file an updated status report on steps taken for improving the law and order situation, recovery of arms and rehabilitation of the displaced in the strife-torn State, where sporadic incidents of violence continue to pour in.
A day after three village volunteers were killed and five others injured by unidentified gunmen in Bishnupur district, a gunfight broke out between two groups in Manipur’s Imphal West district on Monday. The incident happened near Shantipur village, officials said there were no reports of any casualty and security forces were deployed in the area to tackle the situation.
“Just tell us what steps have been taken with regard to rehabilitation camps, law and order and the recovery of arms,” said the bench, also comprising Justice P S Narasimha and Justice Manoj Misra. It listed a batch of petitions on the issue for hearing on July 10.
“Though slowly, the situation is improving in the State. Wherever there is a problem that is being tackled. Apart from civil police, there is a deployment of Indian Reserve battalions, Manipur rifles, commandos, 114 companies of CAPF and 184 columns of Army, 355 relief camps are there,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur government, said giving details of the deployment of security forces and the recent status of the law and order situation in Manipur.
At the same time, the Solicitor General termed as unfortunate the allegations levelled by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing minority Kuki organisations, that some militant groups were “sponsored by the State”. The SG said he should avoid giving any “communal angle”.
“What I would request is that because I would not take an adversarial stand in this matter that my learned friend (Colin Gonsalves) may consider avoiding giving any communal angle Christians etc. That is not necessary. Human beings are dealt with by the law enforcement agencies,” Mehta said adding the situation is improving and the curfew time has also come down to five hours.
Gonsalves claimed that attacks on Kukis have hugely increased after the State told this court that the incidents of violence have decreased.
More than 120 people have lost their lives in clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities that first broke out on May 3 after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the State’s hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for ST status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 percent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
On March 27, the Manipur High Court order asked the State government to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status to the majority community.
The apex court is seized of a batch of pleas on the Manipur situation, including one by a ruling BJP MLA challenging the High Court order on Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community, and a PIL by a tribal NGO for an SIT probe into the violence that has rocked the State.
