NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has initiated hearings on a series of petitions concerning ethnic violence in Manipur. To investigate the cases, the state government has proposed the establishment of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) led by district Superintendents of Police (SPs). During the proceedings, Attorney General R Venkataramani presented a report detailing the segregation of cases conducted by the state police. He assured the court that the government is handling the situation in Manipur with utmost maturity.
The Attorney General mentioned that the SITs will consist of senior police officials who will focus on resolving the issues in six violence-affected districts. Moreover, there will be a dedicated SIT comprised of women-only police officers to address crimes against women.
The investigations will be supervised by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and the Director-General of Police (DGP), as stated by the Attorney General before the court. However, he expressed concerns about externally directed investigations, emphasizing that they might not instill confidence given the current tense situation.
Additionally, Manipur's DGP, Rajiv Singh, appeared before a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud to provide insights into the ethnic violence and the steps taken by the administration so far. He also discussed the segregation of cases to facilitate effective investigations.
Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Central and state governments, respectively. They submitted a report requested by the apex court on August 1, which included details on case segregation.
The attorney general reiterated that the government is handling the situation with a high level of maturity. The state government's proposal includes setting up SITs at the district level, headed by Superintendents of Police, to investigate sensitive cases. Additionally, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will look into eleven specific cases.
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