Supreme Court Demands Status Report on Ethnic Violence in Manipur, Concerns over Law and Order Situation Arise

Manipur Violence: The Supreme Court requested a thorough status report from the state government on the steps taken to stop ethnic violence in Manipur after expressing worry about the state's law and order situation. The government was asked to provide a list of the actions taken in order to build rehabilitation camps for those who were homeless or affected by violence, force deployment, and the law and order situation in Manipur by the Supreme Court bench, which was composed of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra. "It should have details like rehabilitation camps, law and order and recovery of arms," the court said.

Supreme Court Urges Manipur Government to Provide Detailed Report on Progress in Tackling Ethnic Violence

The Manipur government was ordered by the court to submit the report by July 10 in order to schedule the next hearing in the case. A petition from an NGO asking for Army protection for the marginalised Kuki tribal people and action against groups that are allegedly attacking them was one of many petitions the Supreme Court was hearing regarding the violence in Manipur. The Supreme Court was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Federal Government and the Manipur State Government that the state's position is slowly but surely improving. He claimed that in addition to the civil police, there are Manipur rifles, CAPF companies, 114 Army columns, and Manipur Commandos. He also informed the court that the state's 24-hour curfew had been shortened to five hours. He noted that "real human beings are being dealt with," and that senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, who is representing Kuki organisations, should not give the issue "a communal angle." Colin Gonsalves said that although militants declared they would "annihilate the Kukis" on a news programme, nothing was done to stop them. He said that the authorities "sponsored" the violence against the Kukis.

Supreme Court Sets Hearing Date for Manipur Ethnic Violence Case Amid Rising Toll and Unrest

On June 20, a vacation bench presided over by Justice Surya Kant rejected to hear the case on an urgent basis, stating that the administration should deal with the matter as a matter of law and order. Gonsalves, speaking on behalf of the NGO, claimed that despite solemn promises that no one would die, ethnic violence in the state has resulted in the deaths of 70 tribal members. The solicitor general had argued against holding an urgent hearing and claimed that security forces were already on the scene and making every effort to stop the violence and get things back to normal. According to him, the top court has slated July 17 for hearing on the main case involving the Manipur High Court's decision to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the dominant Meitei group, which sparked a wave of unrest in the northeastern state. Since May 3, ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has resulted in close to 120 fatalities and over 3,000 injuries. The majority of Meiteis, who make up around 53% of Manipur's population, reside in the Imphal Valley. Another 40% of the population is made up of the Naga and Kuki tribes, who live in the hill districts. On March 27, the Manipur High Court issued an order directing the state administration to submit a recommendation to the federal government within four weeks regarding the majority community's desire for ST status.

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