No Reported Violence In The Last 2 Days - Claim By The State In Manipur Violence

During a session on Monday, the Manipur government's representative, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, informed the Supreme Court that they would take proactive measures to address concerns about the ongoing violence in the state. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala, stressed the importance of making adequate arrangements in relief camps and ensuring that the state takes necessary precautions to protect and provide rehabilitation for displaced individuals, as well as safeguarding places of worship.

According to the report presented by Solicitor General Mehta, several measures have been implemented to tackle the situation in Manipur. The report states that 52 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 101 companies of Assam Rifles were deployed to address the situation. Flag marches were conducted in areas of unrest and a senior police officer was appointed as a security advisor, while a Central government officer was made Chief Secretary. Additionally, relief camps were set up for displaced individuals, peace meetings were organized, and security forces facilitated the movement of stranded people.

According to Mehta, the measures taken have resulted in no reported violence in the past 48 hours, suggesting that the situation is gradually stabilizing. In fact, the curfew in the state was relaxed for three to four hours without any untoward incidents, further demonstrating that the situation is under control.

Three petitions regarding the ongoing clashes and resulting violence in Manipur were heard by the court. The conflicts arose from certain tribes opposing the demand by the Meitei community, who are in the majority, to be granted Scheduled Tribe status. On April 19, the Manipur High Court ordered the state government to consider the demand within four weeks.

One of the petitions before the court, filed by Hill Areas Committee Chairperson and BJP MLA Dinganglung Gangmei, challenged the order of the Manipur HC on granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community. The petition stated that there is no pending proposal for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Central government and that the State has not sent any such proposal to the Central government.

Another public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Manipur Tribal Forum requested directions from the Central and State governments to safely evacuate Manipuri tribals who had taken refuge in Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) camps. The PIL claimed that the assaults on tribal communities in Manipur have complete backing from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently holds power at both the State and Central levels.