A batch of pleas has been filed in the Supreme Court on the Manipur situation, including one by a ruling BJP MLA challenging the high court order on the issue of Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community and a PIL by a tribal outfit for a probe by a special investigation team into the violence last week.
The clashes started in Churachandpur district last Wednesday after tribal people held a protest opposing reservation to the Meiteis following the March 27 high court order asking the state government to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for the ST status by the Meitei community.
Appeals have been filed by Dinganglung Gangmei, BJP MLA and chairman of the Hills Area Committee (HAC) of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, challenging various orders passed by Manipur High Court on the ST status to Meiteis, including the contempt notices on the criticism of the court order.
In his appeal, Gangmei said the HAC “was a necessary and proper party and the proceedings before the High Court were vitiated on account of not making the HAC a party”.
He added: “Even if directions were to be given, they could not have been given without notice to the HAC (Hills Area Committee) and hearing the HAC.”
He said that because of the impugned order, tension between communities has set in and violent clashes have erupted across the state.
“As a result of it, so far 19 tribal people have been killed, various places in the states are blocked, the Internet is completely shut down and more people are at risk of losing their lives,” the appeal said.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. The tribal people — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts.
The PIL filed by an NGO, the Manipur Tribal Forum, through advocate Satya Mitra, said it has moved the top court under Article 32 of the Constitution on account of the extreme situation arising out of the attacks on the tribal community in Manipur by a “dominant group”.
It alleged that “these attacks have the full support of the party in power... which supports the dominant group” and sought directives to the Centre and Manipur to evacuate Manipuri tribal people who have fled their villages.
The PIL by the tribal outfit alleged that the attacks began on May 3 and several churches and hospitals were damaged when the mobs went on a rampage, burning houses and vehicles and business establishments belonging to tribals.
It said that 30 tribals were killed and 132 people were injured but “neither FIR was registered nor is there any investigation taking place”.
The PIL sought directions to the Centre and the state government to deploy central forces to protect all churches and places of worship of the tribal/Christians in Manipur with immediate effect.
It urged that a team of professionals be put together to conduct an inquiry into the villages destroyed and make an assessment of the damage. It also sought payment of compensation to the victims and reconstruction of buildings including churches.
“A prayer clause has been made for the appointment of former DGP Assam (Harekrishna Deka) as the head of an SIT to investigate and prosecute and with a mandate to put together a team of his choice of police personnel and other support secretarial staff so that final reports are made expeditiously,” it said.
Centre for talks
Requesting the warring groups in Manipur to maintain peace, Union minister for development of the northeastern region G. Kishan Reddy on Sunday said the central government was ready for talks to settle the issue.
