Judicial Panel Reaches Manipur to Probe Ethnic Violence

The three-member Commission of Inquiry, set up by the Union Home Ministry to probe the recent series of ethnic violence in Manipur that so far claimed 105 lives and injured over 320 people, arrived in Imphal on Friday.

A senior Manipur Home Department official told IANS that the judicial commission under the chairmanship of the Gauhati High Court's former Chief Justice Ajai Lamba would soon start their inquiry into the ethnic strife, which broke out on May 3.

The MHA, which constituted the Commission of Inquiry on June 4, asked the probe panel to submit its report to the Central government as soon as possible but not later than six months from the date of its first sitting.

Former IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and retired IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar are other members of the Commission, which would probe the causes and spread of the violence and riots targeting members of different communities, which took place in Manipur on May 3 and thereafter, the sequence of events leading to, and all the facts relating to such violence, whether there were any lapses or dereliction of duty in this regard on the part of any of the responsible authorities and individuals, the adequacy of the administrative measures taken to prevent, and to deal with the violence and riots.

The inquiry of the Commission, whose headquarters shall be at Imphal, shall also be in regard to the complaints or allegations that may be made before the panel by any individual, or association, in such form and accompanied by such affidavits, as may be specified by the Commission.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had visited violence-ravaged Manipur for four days between May 29 and June 1, touring several districts and holding over two dozen meetings with all stakeholders including the state government, 47 civil society organisations (CSOs) of different communities, civil and security officials, had announced that the Centre would soon constitute a Commission of Inquiry to probe the violence in the state.

The Home Minister had also said that a high-level peace committee headed by Governor Anusuiya Uikey would be formed and people from all sections and communities, including Meitei and Kuki communities would be included in it.

He announced that the CBI probe would be conducted into the six specific conspiracy cases, while a joint security command headed by Chief Security Advisor to Manipur, Kuldiep Singh, a former CRPF chief, would be formed and it would impartially conduct all the security-related operations.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed six FIRs and formed a Special Investigation Team under supervision of a Deputy Inspector General to probe an alleged conspiracy in connection with the violence in Manipur.

"CBI has today (Friday) registered six cases transferred by Manipur pertaining to incidents of large scale violence leading to destruction and looting of properties, arson, looting/snatching of arms/ammunition, loss of human lives etc. in various districts of Manipur," a CBI official said in Delhi.