Why has Manipur SIT made less progress?

A report accessed by Hindu The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court to probe cases of rape, sexual crimes against women, murder, looting and arson in caste-ridden Manipur shows that few cases have been filed. .

When were SITs established?

On August 7, 2023, a Supreme Court bench headed by former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud constituted 42 SITs to investigate 6,523 First Information Reports (FIRs) related to violent crimes, including sexual crimes, reported in Manipur from May 3 to July. 30, 2023. The purge of records brought the number of FIRs to 3,023. Since multiple FIRs were reported for the same offence, the records were sanitized. As people were displaced from their homes, many registered zero FIRs at police stations in Manipur or outside the state as they could not visit the respective police stations fearing for their safety. Zero FIRs are filed irrespective of jurisdiction and later transferred to the police station.

Read this also Give details of all properties burnt, looted during violence: Supreme Court to Manipur

The SIT submits a status report to the Supreme Court every month. On December 9, 2024, the court directed the Manipur government to provide details of buildings and properties burnt, partially burnt, looted and encroached upon during the communal violence. The next date of hearing is January 20.

What is the crisis in Manipur?

Since May 3, 2023, Manipur has been affected by communal violence between the tribal Kuki-Jo people and the Meitei community. The ongoing violence has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people from their homes. More than 4,000 police weapons were looted from the state armoury.

What does the status report say?

Hindu Status report of SIT investigation accessed on November 20, 2024. It showed that the 42 SITs filed chargesheets in only 6% of the total 3,023 registered cases. The police summaries of charges of various crimes including rape, sexual abuse of women, arson, robbery, murder and other heinous crimes are only in 192 cases.

From August 2023, when the SITs were formed, to November 20 this year, the teams arrested 384 persons, identified 742 suspects and examined 11,901 witnesses. So far, 574 accused have been charged. The report said the SIT is investigating 126 cases of murder and 2,888 cases of robbery, arson and other property offences. Due to lack of evidence and witnesses, closure reports have been filed in 605 cases. The SIT has so far recovered 501 arms, 13,464 ammunitions and 412 magazines. Manipur police have so far recovered around 1800 weapons.

What is the structure of SIT?

Based on the recommendations of the Manipur government, the Supreme Court said the cases should be bundled into three categories under the charter of SITs – FIRs related to murder and heinous crimes, sexual crimes against women, and other crimes like robbery, arson etc. Accordingly, the team was divided into six groups and one group each was divided to investigate the cases of murder, heinous crime and rape and sexual crime against women. Four groups to investigate cases of arson, robbery and other crimes.

An officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police appointed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Three SITs comprising two inspectors, six sub-inspectors and 12 constables were tasked to oversee them.

The SITs were formed for eight districts, Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Tengnaupal, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

What did the court say?

On July 20, 2023, after a video of two tribal Kuki-jo women being paraded naked by a mob surfaced on social media, the Supreme Court sought reports indicating steps taken by the government to hold the perpetrators accountable and ensure such incidents. Not repeated. Although the incident took place on May 4, 2023, the case was filed in July after the video went viral.

Both the Central Government and the State Government were directed to take immediate steps – remedial, rehabilitative, and preventive – and to inform the court about the action taken so far. On August 1, 2023, the state informed the court that 11 FIRs of violence against women and children had been filed, though this was subject to further verification. Seven arrests were made in connection with these 11 FIRs, the state informed the court. The Center said the state is willing to hand over 11 cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case of sexual assault of two women was handed over to the CBI along with other cases.

Expressing dismay at the “slow pace of investigation”, the court constituted a three-member committee headed by Justice Geeta Mittal, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The committee’s mandate is to inquire from all available sources into the nature of violence against women in Manipur since May 4, 2023., Personal meetings with survivors, family members of survivors, local/community representatives, officers in charge of relief camps and registered FIRs as well as media reports.

The court appointed Dattatray Padsalgikar, former Director General of Police, Maharashtra, CBI to oversee the investigation of the FIRs handed over to it and the remaining FIRs.

What are the challenges?

A senior government official says there are several logistical problems hampering the investigation. The language is challenging to record the victim’s statement as many of the officers leading the investigation team are from outside the state. There are instances where victims have changed their phone numbers. “So, for an FIR registered in Imphal (valley), the victim from the hill district does not want to talk to the valley officer – this leads to delay. The same is the case with cases registered in the hills where the victim is from the valley,” the officer said.

When will the case be heard?

As the Supreme Court’s direction is awaited, the trial has not started in any of the cases. There is concern that the case will be heard due to the ongoing caste violence in the state. The CBI filed a chargesheet in a CBI court in Guwahati last October in the case of sexual assault of two Kuki-jo women, but the trial of the case is yet to begin.