NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Manipur government to file an updated status report detailing the steps taken to ensure rehabilitation and improve the law and order situation in the ethnic violence-hit state.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra listed the batch of petitions on the issue for hearing on July 10, PTI reported.
“It should have details like rehabilitation camps, law and order and recovery of arms,” the bench said to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government.
During the brief hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre and Manipur government told the apex court that the situation in the state is improving, “though slowly”.
The hearing comes a day after the United Peoples’ Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO), two umbrella Kuki organisations, have withdrawn roadblocks in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on National Highway 2.
In a joint statement, the two organisations, which represent among others former militant groups that have signed suspension of operations pacts with the government, said the blockade on the highway has been lifted with immediate effect, following an appeal by Union home minister Amit Shah.
The organisations said the home minister had shown “deep concern to restore peace and harmony” in the state.
However, Kuki civil society group Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), which had announced a roadblock on NH-2 two months ago, has not officially withdrawn the agitation yet.
Manipur has two national highways — NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam).
The NH-2 has been blocked by Kuki organisations since the violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, and was temporarily opened following Shah’s visit in late May.
Nearly 120 people have died and more than 3,000 injured in ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur which started on May 3. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.