Govt Sets Up 3-Member Panel To Probe Manipur Violence, Report To Be Submitted In 6 Months

The MHA further said the government panel will also investigate if there was any dereliction of duty by the authorities concerned.

New Delhi: The government has set up a three-member inquiry commission to be headed by former Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, Justice Ajai Lamba to probe into the incidents of violence in Manipur. Former IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and former IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar are also part of the probe panel. The commission will probe into the causes and spread of violence and the riots in the northeast state and will submit its report within six months, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The MHA further said the government panel will also investigate if there was any dereliction of duty by the authorities concerned.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday urged the people of Manipur to lift the blockades so that essential items such as food and medicine can reach the violence-hit state.

Taking to Twitter, Amit Shah wrote, “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. I also request that Civil Society Organisations do the needful in bringing consensus. Together only we can restore normalcy in this beautiful state.”

The Union Minister’s appeal comes amid security adviser to the state government Kuldeep Singh saying that there was no incident of violence in Manipur in the last 24 hours and the state was "completely peaceful".

“Situation in Manipur is completely peaceful. There has been no incident of violence since Friday evening,” Singh, a former DG of the CRPF, told news agency PTI.

He further stated that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army have been patrolling in the buffer zones between Manipur's valleys and hills and peace prevails in those areas.

“People have been cooperating fully after the home minister's visit. General public, civil society organisations and prominent citizens are working in close coordination with the administration and helping restore peace,” he said.

According to the security adviser, the curfew was lifted in most of the places for 12 hours and life is returning to normal gradually.