Imphal- It has been more than four months since the violence in Manipur began in May. Now, the police have released figures regarding the people killed, injured, incidents of arson, and weapons looted during the violence. Inspector General of Police (Operations) IK Muivah has stated that, thus far, 175 people have lost their lives in the Manipur violence, 1,108 people have sustained injuries, and 32 individuals remain missing.

Addressing a press conference in Imphal as a “confidence-building measure”, Muivah said, out of the 175 people killed in the violence, the identities of nine victims have not yet been established. The relatives of 79 deceased individuals have been located, while 96 remain unclaimed.

Among these, 28 bodies are held at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital, Imphal, 26 are at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, and 42 are in the hospital in Churachandpur. To date, 9,332 FIRs have been filed in connection with the Manipur violence.

The police officer said 5,172 cases of arson have been reported, with miscreants setting houses on fire. 386 religious structures have been vandalized through arson, of which 254 are churches and 132 are temples. Security forces have recovered 1,329 of the 5,668 weapons looted since the onset of the violence. Furthermore, 15,050 rounds of ammunition and 400 bombs have been retrieved.

Muivah also announced the removal of barricades that had been set up by security forces from Phougakchao Ikhai to Kangvai at the border of the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district and the Kuki-Zomi-dominated Churachandpur district. These barricades had recently sparked violence when thousands of people from the Meitei community had congregated in the area with the intent to "push back" the barricades. This led to clashes, including stone pelting and firing at security forces, resulting in a significant number of civilian injuries.

SC Clarifies Procedures for Collecting Statements in Manipur Violence Cases

In the context of the Manipur violence, the Supreme Court has clarified how statements from victims and witnesses should be collected. The clarification came in response to a letter from the Manipur High Court seeking guidance. As per a Live Law report, the Supreme Court, consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra, issued the following guidelines:

1. Statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) will be recorded by a local magistrate designated by the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court.

2. If the victim or witness is located outside Manipur, their statement will be recorded by a magistrate in the area where they are situated.

3. After recording the statement, it will be sent to an additional magistrate in the state of Assam.

Test Identification Parades will be conducted by local magistrates in the state of Manipur.

These directions apply to cases handled by Special Investigation Teams in Manipur and not cases related to sexual violence, which have been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Previously, the Supreme Court had asked the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to designate courts in Guwahati to handle pre-trial steps of CBI cases. This includes applications for remand, custody extensions, and warrants, which can now be made virtually before these designated courts in Guwahati. Victims and witnesses can also provide evidence virtually from Manipur, avoiding the need to travel to Assam physically.

Regarding investigations, the Court noted that the Central government had decided to entrust 11 FIRs related to sexual violence to the CBI. The Court will allow the transfer of these cases to the CBI and will involve officers from other states to ensure objectivity. The Court will also appoint an officer to oversee the CBI's investigation and report back to the Court.

For State police investigations, the Court noted that the State would set up 42 Special Investigation Teams (SITs) for cases not transferred to the CBI. These SITs will include at least one inspector from other State Police forces and will be supervised by six DIG rank officers from outside the State of Manipur.

Before these developments, the Supreme Court had criticized the police investigation as slow, with FIRs being registered days after incidents, and few arrests made.

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