The Centre on Sunday set up a Commission of Inquiry, headed by former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court Ajai Lamba, to probe the recent series of violence in Manipur that claimed 98 lives.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday appealed to the people of Manipur to lift the blockades from National Highway-2 so that basic and essential goods such as food, medicines and fuel can reach the state.
“My sincerest appeal to the people of Manipur is to lift the blockades at the Imphal-Dimapur, NH-2 Highway, so that food, medicines, petrol/diesel, and other necessary items can reach the people,” he said. “I also request that civil society organisations do the needful in bringing consensus,” he added.
Shah further said in his tweet, “Together only we can restore normalcy in this beautiful state.”
According to a Gazette notification issued by the Union Home Ministry, the commission will make inquiry with respect of the causes and spread of the violence and riots targeting members of different communities, which took place in Manipur on May 3 and thereafter.
Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The commission will probe the sequence of events leading to, and all the facts relating to such violence; whether there were any lapses or dereliction of duty in this regard on the part of any of the responsible authorities/individuals and adequacy of the administrative measures taken to prevent, and to deal with the violence and riots.
The commission will also look into the complaints or allegations that may be made before it by any individual or association.
The panel will submit its report to the Central Government as soon as possible but not later than six months from the date of its first sitting. The commission, however, if it deems fit, can make interim reports to the Central Government before the said date. The other members of the commission are retired IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and retired IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar.
The death toll from clashes has gone up to over 98, officials said. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Shah had visited Manipur for four days between May 29 and June 1 and after taking stock of the situation had announced that the Centre would soon constitute a Commission of Inquiry to probe the violence in the State.
