Manipur violence: "Don't use this platform to escalate further situation..." says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Monday cautioned the counsels representing the Meitei and Kuki groups to refrain from levelling allegations and using the court as a platform to escalate the volatile situation in ManipurThe cautionary remarks of the apex court came after senior advocate Colin Gonsalves appearing for the Kuki group made repeated attempts to claim that the violence against the Kuki community was statesponsored news gathering agency ANI reportedWe do not want these proceedings to be used as a platform for further escalations of violence and other problems We must be conscious that we are not running security or law and order This is a humanitarian issue and needs to be looked at from that angle said a bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha while intervening GonsalvesSolicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Manipur government said the matter may be taken up by petitioners with utmost sensitivity as any misinformation can aggravate the situationAs Gonsalves kept on submitting that there has been a serious escalation in the Manipur situation and the narrative is against Kuki tribals CJI Chandrachud said Your scepticism cannot lead us to take over the law and orderThe bench further asked Gonsalves and other advocates appearing for the Meitei group to give constructive suggestions on the fresh affidavit filed by the State government on measures taken for relief and curb violence in the StateThe bench posted the matter for hearing on July 11The bench also enquired from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta about the seizure of weapons from police stations and asked for an update on actions taken in this regard It directed the Chief Secretary of Manipur was directed to file a status reportAlso readPM brings up extradition of Vijay Mallya Nirav Modi in all UKIndia meetingsIt further asked both the Centre and State governments to consider a plea made by the Manipur High Court Bar Association which requested that a 10kilometre stretch of a crucial National Highway serving as the only lifeline for essential supplies should be kept clear for reaching essential commodities to the State residentManipur government in its affidavit stated that as per the police report around 5995 FIRs have been registered as of July 4 and are being investigated in connection with different allegations mishappenings and offences that happened during the ongoing crisesSix important FIRs had been transferred to CBI for investigation independently and with transparency the affidavit saidFurthermore illegal bunkers constructed by miscreants which have been a cause of concern for society in both hills and valleys are being dismantled by the security forces it saidIt is stated that security cover for undertaking agriculture and for escorting essential items from Jiribam at Imphal has been deployed In general curfew relaxation hours are being enhanced across the state keeping in view the local conditions the affidavit saidSecurity deployment is being planned implemented and reviewed on a daily basis by the Security Advisor to the Government of Manipur In this regard the State Police is spearheading the efforts ot bring normalcy to the State under the leadership of the newly appointed Director General of Police Furthermore standard operating procedures SOP have been put in place to deal with general area domination as well as to address any emergent situations it addedOn July 4354 relief camps are operational in the affected areas with amenities and medical care made available for the convenience of the inmates It is stated that more than 400 officers along with COs are involved in monitoring camp operations the affidavit said furtherEarlier the Supreme Court sought an updated status report from the State of Manipur regarding the present situation and measures taken to curb the violence in the StateThe top court seized the cases relating to the violence in Manipur and sought status reports from the Centre and State on the relief and rehabilitation efforts for the people affected by the violence between Meitei and Kuki communitiesEarlier the top court expressed concern over the loss of lives and properties in Manipur during the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities and stressed taking adequate measures to restore normalcy in the northeastern stateOn March 27 the High Court directed the State to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes listThe violence in Manipur between the Hindu Meiteis and the tribal Kuki who are Christians erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur ATSUM on May 3Violence has gripped the entire state for over a month now and the Central government had to deploy paramilitary forces to bring the situation under control ANI