Imphal, Nov 30 (IANS) In a daring robbery, Rs 18.85 crore was looted by an unidentified armed group from a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Manipur’s Ukhrul town on Thursday, officials said.

Police, quoting eyewitnesses, said that 8 to 10 armed men stormed into the PNB bank branch situated in Viewland-I in Ukhrul town just before the evening when the bank employees were counting the amount after the day’s transaction and looted Rs 18.85 crore.

The unidentified masked men reportedly carried sophisticated weapons and overpowered the security personnel and the PNB branch staff.

"The security personnel and bank staff were tied with ropes at gunpoint and locked inside the store room by the armed men who fled with the cash,” a police official said.

Security forces led by senior police officials have immediately reached the spot and the bank authority has lodged a formal complaint with the police in this regard. The security forces have launched a massive search operation to nab the looters.

This is the first time such a daring incident has happened at Ukhrul town since the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur seven month ago.

A sum of Rs one crore was looted by the armed gang from an Axis Bank branch at Churachandpur in July.

New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Wednesday shielded two academicians, belonging to the Kuki-Zo community, from any coercive action of the Manipur Police after they were booked for editing a book allegedly twisting the state’s history.

A bench, comprising of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued notice and granted an interim protection against arrest for a period of three weeks.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for academicians, sought quashing of the FIR lodged under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (publishing rumour) of the IPC against them.

Professor Jangkhomang Guite from Manipur University and Assistant Professor Thongkholal Haokip from Jawaharlal Nehru University edited the book titled "The Anglo-Kuki War 1917-1919", which is authored by Colonel Vijay Chenji (retd).

The FIR was lodged based on the complaint of the Federation of Haomee, an Imphal-based civil society organisation, which claimed that no Anglo-Kuki war had taken place in Manipur and the book incorrectly depicted a Kuki rebellion from 1917 to 1919.

It demanded that the book be banned "for the ends of justice and peace in the country".

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court, which had set up a committee comprising three woman judges to enquire into the violence against women in Manipur, has tasked it with collecting information on such incidents, as well as monitoring the conditions at relief camps and deciding on compensation to victims.

A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, in their judgment, uploaded late night on Thursday, asked the committee, which comprises  Jammu and Kashmir High Court's former Chief Justice, Justice Gita Mittal, Bombay High Court's retired judge, Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, and Delhi High Court's former judge, Justice Asha Menon - to collect information from all available sources including personal meetings with survivors or their family members, local or community representatives, relief camps, FIRs or media reports.

The bench said that the objective of constitution of such a committee is to restore the faith and confidence of the community in the justice system and secondly, to ensure that the rule of law is restored.

It asked the committee to submit a report before it on the steps required to meet the needs of the survivors of gender violence, and ensure that the relief camps set up for the displaced have clean rations, basic medical care, essential products, free sanitary pads, suicide prevention services, etc.

The committee has been empowered to issue directions for the appointment of nodal officers at relief camps and the provision of toll-free helplines to provide updates on any investigation, missing persons, and the recovery of dead bodies. "The nodal officers must also ensure that they maintain a database of all persons who are housed in their respective relief camps," the Supreme Court ordered.

The committee has been entrusted with the payment of compensation and restitution to victims of violence. It has been empowered to issue directions to the State Legal Services Authority to ensure payment of compensation to all victims. "Where the victim is deceased, the next of kin should be identified for the payment of compensation," the apex court judgment said.

The committee can issue directions to the state government to settle compensation for damages caused to the movable and immovable properties of persons affected by violence. It will submit its updated status report on a fortnightly basis directly to the apex court.

Imphal, Aug 7 (IANS) Leaders of Manipur's Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday to press for its demands, which include a separate state for the trinals.

Senior ITLF leader and spokesman Ginza Vualzong said that a four-member delegation will meet the Union Minister.

“We will press for early solutions to our demands as the Manipur situation due to the misgovernance of the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh-led government has been deteriorating fast. Tribals are victims due to the state government’s anti-tribal governance,” Vualzong, who is also a member of the ITLF delegation, told IANS over phone.

The ITLF leaders claimed that since they could not travel to Imphal from Churachandpur due to the Meiteis threat, they had to go to Aizawl to board the New Delhi-bound flight.

The other demands of the ITLF include state police and commando forces should not be deployed in the hill areas of Manipur, inmates lodged in the jails in Imphal should be shifted to others states of the country and legalisation of a site for mass burial of tribals killed during the ethnic violence.

The volatile Manipur situation further escalated after the tribal organisation announced to conduct the mass burial in Churachandpur on August 3.

The move was strongly opposed by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of the Meitei community.

However, the mass burial was postponed after the Manipur High Court ordered to maintain a status-quo of the proposed burial site in Churachandpur.

In a letter to the ITLF and the COCOMI, Union Minister Nityanand Rai on August 3 appealed to maintain peace and communal harmony.

“The government of India is seized of the issue of last rites of mortal remains of those killed in ethnic violence in Manipur. The government of India appeals to all concerned to maintain peace and communal harmony and assures that it will spare no efforts to resolve the issues amicably to the utmost satisfaction of all parties within a period of seven days,” Rai said in the latter.

Since May 12, 10 tribal MLAs, including seven BJP legislators, ITLF and the influential KukiInpi Manipur (KIM) since May 12 have been demanding separate administration (equivalent to separate state) for the tribals.

Shah, Biren Singh, the ruling BJP and various other organisations, including the COCOMI, have been strongly opposing the separate administration demand.

Amidst the prevailing situation, the Kuki People's Alliance (KPA) with two MLAs in the Manipur Assembly on Sunday withdrew its support from the BJP-led state government.

Addressing a letter to Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey, KPA President Tongmang Haokip said: “After careful consideration of the current conflagration, the continued support for the incumbent government of Manipur led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh is no longer fructuous. 

"Accordingly, the support of the KPA to the government of Manipur is hereby withdrawn and can be considered null and void.”

The leaders of the KPA as partners of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had attended the NDA meeting held in Delhi on July 18.

However, the withdrawal of support by the two KPA MLAs will not affect the BJP-led government in Manipur.

In the 60-member Assembly, the BJP on its own has 32 MLAs while the National People’s Party (7 members), Janata Dal-United (6), Naga People’s Front (5) and two Independents are supporting the saffron party-led government.

Imphal, July 31 (IANS) Manipur government on Monday asked people and organisations to desist from spreading, publishing and generating fake news, lies, rumours or misinformation regarding the ongoing situation in the state otherwise stern action would be taken under the laws and it will be treated as sedition.

Officials quoting government notification said that spreading of wrong information would be booked under sedition charges.

“Government is making all efforts to restore peace and normalcy. Generation or spreading of wrong information would therefore amount to sedition,” said the notification, issued by Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi.

The notification said that no person is immune to prosecution under the laws of the country if he/she is found to be generating or spreading false news, lies, rumours or any propaganda with bad intention which can worsen the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur.

The Chief Secretary, in his notification stated: “A number of individuals in responsible positions and large followings on social media have been observed to be directly involved in generating and/or sharing information in connection with the ongoing law & order situation in Manipur.

“Many of such information have been found to be fake news, lies, rumours or misinformation. Generation and spreading of such wrong information has the potential to worsen the current situation in the state by misguiding public opinion, instigating violence and to rebel against the authority of the state with or without use of arms, leading to death of human lives, casualties on bodies and destruction and damage of properties.”

It is hereby proclaimed that no person will be immune to prosecution under the laws of the country if he/she is found to be generating or spreading fake news, lies, rumours or misinformation, the notification said.

The state Government shall not hesitate to take action as per law, against those persons found to be generating or sharing or publishing any wrong information which can worsen the current law and order situation in Manipur, it added.

The notification said that every person, acting individually or on behalf of any group of persons, based in Manipur or outside, shall verify any information before sharing or publishing on any social media platform or through any medium, by means of any tool whatsoever, physical, virtual, audio-visual or electronic.

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) The two tribal women, who were paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob in Manipur, have approached the Supreme Court. 

A bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud is scheduled to hear on Monday the plea filed by the two survivors along with the clutch of pleas related to inter-ethnic clashes in Manipur, including the suo moto case where Centre and Manipur governments were directed to take immediate steps on the viral video of the two young women being paraded naked.

The bench will also consider the reply of the Centre government detailing the actions taken in relation to the disturbing incident. 

In its reply filed, the central government has informed the Supreme Court that investigation in the incident has been transferred to CBI and requested the top court to order transfer of the entire case, including trial to any state outside Manipur.

On July 20, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the disturbing viral videos and asked the Centre and the state governments to apprise it about the steps taken by July 28.

“Using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy,” said a bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud on July 20, a day after the viral video surfaced on social media.  

The bench told the Solicitor General of India that the top court will be constrained to “step in” if the state government does not take action. "We will give a little time to the government to act otherwise we will take action," it had said.

Imphal, July 30 (IANS) The 21-member parliamentary delegation of the opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Sunday termed the Manipur ethnic violence as ‘national security issue’, saying the silence of the Prime Minister shows his brazen indifference towards the violence in Manipur.

The parliamentary delegation of INDIA is on a two-day visit to Manipur who arrived in the state on Saturday. They visited relief camps in Churachandpur, Bishnupur and Imphal West districts and interacted with the affected people on the first day.

On Sunday, the delegation met Governor Anusuiya Uikey and also submitted a memorandum.

“Governor welcomed the team and appealed to extend their fullest cooperation to restore peace and tranquility through a peaceful dialogue with the representatives of CSOs of both the communities to maintain status quo ante of aged old tradition of peaceful co-existence,” Raj Bhavan said in a tweet.

After meeting the Governor, Congress Lok Sabha group leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, the Governor herself expressed pain and grief.

“During this two-day visit, whatever we witnessed, whatever experience we gained, she agreed to what we said. She also suggested that together we should hold talks with the leaders of all communities and find a solution.

“The Governor also suggested that both the opposition and ruling parties should together send an all-party delegation to Manipur and talk to leaders of all communities which is essential to resolve the sense of distrust among the people,” Chowdhury said.

He also termed the Manipur crisis as a “national security issue.” 

In the memorandum to Governor, the MPs said: “We are, indeed, very shocked and sad to hear the stories of anxieties, uncertainties, pains and sorrows of the individuals affected by the unprecedented violence unleashed by both sides since the beginning of the clashes.

“There is anger and a sense of alienation amongst all communities, which has to be addressed without delay.”

Saying that the Central and state governments failed to protect the lives and properties of the people of the two communities, the memorandum pointed out that more than 140 deaths and over 500 people have been injured while more than 5000 houses have been burnt and over 60,000 people of both Meitei and Kuki communities have been displaced.

INDIA MPs said that from the reports of incessant firing and arson of houses in the last few days, it is established beyond doubt that the state machineries have completely failed to control the situation for the last almost three months.

The memorandum, signed by 21 MPs said that the condition in the relief camps is pathetic to say the least.

Special care needs to be taken for the kids on a priority basis. Students from different streams are facing an uncertain future, which has to be the priority of the state and the Union governments.

The continued internet ban for the last three months is aiding to the unsubstantiated rumours, which is aiding to the existing mistrust, it said.

In order to bring peace and harmony, rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected persons is most urgent, the MPs said and urged the Governor to apprise the Union Government of the complete breakdown of law and order in Manipur for the last 89 days so as to enable them to intervene in the precarious situation in Manipur to restore peace and normalcy.

The parliamentary delegation of INDIA criticised Prime Minister Narendar Modi for not visiting the violence hit state and failing to restore peace and normalcy even after around three months.

Congress’ Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, who is also part of the delegation of 21 MPs from 16 parties, said that the Prime Minister should have led the all-party delegation to Manipur to restore peace by involving all communities.

“He (PM) not only avoids visiting Manipur but also refuses the all opposition parties’ continuous demand to give a statement in the parliament on the Manipur issue,” he said.

The ethnic violence in Manipur which broke out on May 3 has so far killed over 160 people and injured more than 600 others beides destroying thousands of houses and other properties.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev, who is also part of the delegation, said: “BJP and its governments are responsible for the Manipur crisis and loss of many lives and the mayhem. BJP is a lost face, Prime Minister is a lost face.

“It was important for us to come and meet the victims here. The sad part is that the Government of India should have sent a delegation but it remained a mute spectator.”

Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Sandosh Kumar, A.A. Rahim, Manoj Kumar Jha, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, P.P. Mohammed Faizal, Aneel Prasad Hegde, E.T. Mohammed Basheer, N.K. Premachandran, Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant, D. Ravikumar, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan, Jayant Singh, Phulo Devi Netam and K. Suresh were part of the delegation.

Imphal, July 29 (IANS) A delegation of 21 MPs from 16 parties of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) arrived in Imphal on Saturday on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation in the violence-hit Manipur.

The ethnic violence in Manipur which broke out on May 3 has so far killed over 160 people and injured more than 600 others.

The delegation will visit the valley and hill districts and talk to the affected people.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev said that they will also likely meet Governor Anusuiya Uikey.

“We will visit Churachandpur and other affected areas of Manipur. We will not meet Chief Minister (N. Biren Singh) as he is a villain to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur,” Dev told IANS.

“BJP and its governments are responsible for the Manipur crisis and loss of many lives and the mayhem. BJP is a lost face, Prime Minister is a lost face.”

The Congress and other opposition parties are demanding the imposition of the President’s rule in Manipur and discussions in the Parliament.

The delegation members are Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Sushmita Dev, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Sandosh Kumar, A.A. Rahim, Manoj Kumar Jha, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, P.P. Mohammed Faizal, Aneel Prasad Hegde, E.T. Mohammed Basheer, N.K. Premachandran, Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant, D. Ravikumar, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan, Jayant Singh, Phulo Devi Netam and K. Suresh.

On June 29-30, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had visited Manipur.

New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that investigation has been transferred to the CBI in relation to the disturbing incident where two young tribal women were paraded naked on a road by a large mob in Manipur.

Further, the Centre requested the top court on Thursday to order transfer of the entire case, including trial to any state outside the State of Manipur. Also, it sought a direction that the trial be concluded within a period of six months from the date of the filing of charge sheet by the CBI. 

On July 20, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the disturbing viral videos and asked the Centre and the state government to apprise it about the steps taken by July 28.

"The Central government with the consent of the state government has taken a decision to entrust the investigation to an independent agency, i.e., CBI," said the affidavit filed by the Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla before the Supreme Court. 

"It is submitted that 'law and order’ is handled by the state government, however keeping in view the gravity of the incident....the Government of India is keeping a close watch on the proceedings besides providing requisite assistance towards security," it added. 

The affidavit stated that the state government has formed District Psychological Support teams for providing mental health intervention and legal aid has also been offered to the victim through District Legal Service Authority.

"The state government has informed that during investigation, seven main accused have been arrested and are in police custody for further examination," said the reply further. 

"Using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy," said a bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud on July 20, a day after the viral video surfaced on social media.  

The bench told the Solicitor General of India that the top court will be constrained to "step in" if the state government does not take action. "We will give a little time to the government to act otherwise we will take action," it had said.

It directed the Centre and Manipur governments to take immediate steps and apprise the Court of the action taken before July 28. 

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) claimed that the two women were also gang-raped in a paddy field after being paraded naked on May 4, and demanded stern actions against the perpetrators.

Imphal, July 22 (IANS) With one more arrest, the total number of arrests in connection with the parading of two disrobed women in Kangpokpi district on May 4, has risen to five.

Police said that the fifth accused was arrested from Thoubal district this morning.  
A local court in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Friday sent the four accused to police custody for 11 days to facilitate the police investigation of the horrendous crime, which shook the entire nation.

Officials in Imphal said that on the plea of the investigation officer of the case, the judicial magistrate first class in Thoubal sent the four to police custody till July 31.

The accused were produced before the court through video conferencing.

Meanwhile, an irate mob on Friday set ablaze the house of absconding suspect L. Kabichandra, 20, at Wangjing area in Thoubal.

Kabichandra, who has gone into hiding since Thursday, is among the mob seen in the video of the shocking incident that went viral in social media on July 19.

Angry women also burnt down the house of the main accused Huirem Herodas Singh (Meitei) at Yairipok village in Thoubal district late on Thursday evening.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the home portfolio, told the media that interrogation of the arrested is being conducted by senior police officials and at this juncture, he would not be able to disclose the details.

“I am personally supervising the search operation of the police to nab the remaining accused involved in the crime,” Singh told the media.

“The state Police is making all out efforts to arrest the remaining culprits at the earliest. Raids are continuing,” the Manipur Police tweeted.

A senior police official said that the search operation by the Manipur Police and other security forces is continuing in Kangpokpi, Thoubal and other adjoining districts to nab the culprits.

The official added that several police teams headed by senior officers were formed to supervise the extensive search to locate the offenders involved in the incident.

Imphal, July 21 (IANS) A mob of women burnt down the house of the main accused in a case pertaining to parading of two disrobed women by a group of people in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on May 4, police said on Friday.

A mob of women set fire to the house of Huirem Herodas Singh (Meitei) at Yairipok village in Thoubal district late on Thursday evening, police said in Imphal.

The Manipur police on Thursday night said that four accused, including Singh (Meitei), have been arrested in connection with the shocking case of women disrobed and paraded.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the home portfolio, told the media that interrogation of the arrested persons is being conducted by senior police officials and at this juncture, he would not be able to disclose the details.

“The state Police is making all out efforts to arrest the remaining culprits at the earliest. Raids are continuing,” the Manipur Police tweeted.

Meanwhile, state Director General of Police Rajiv Singh told the media that the women victims are now safe.

Another senior police official said that the search operation by the Manipur Police and other security forces have been continued in Kangpokpi, Thoubal and other adjoining districts to nab the culprits.

The official added that several police teams headed by senior officers were formed to supervise the extensive search to locate the offenders involved in the May 4 incident.

Meanwhile, the husband of one of two victims, had served the Indian Army as a Subedar of the Assam Regiment. The former Army Subedar, who was posted in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force and a Kargil war veteran, while talking to a local television channel, lamented that though he protected the country, he could not save his wife from being humiliated by the mob.

"I fought for the nation in the Kargil but am deeply upset that I could not prevent the fellow villagers from humiliating and molesting my wife,” the distressed former Army man rued.

He said that on the fateful May 4, the mob comprising men and women, burnt down several houses in the locality, dragged the victims out from the homes, disrobed them and forced them walk on the village roads in front of the people and recorded the horrific scene in camera.

Accusing the police of behaving like a "wooden doll", he demanded exemplary punishment for the people involved in the heinous incident.

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of Manipur viral video in which two women can be seen being paraded naked by a mob of men, and issued notice to Twitter.

"NCW condemns the Manipur incident. Taking suo motu cognisance, the DGP Manipur has been asked to promptly take appropriate action," the NCW tweeted.

NCW chief Rekha Sharma said that one primary suspect involved in the incident has been apprehended, and there are expectations of more culprits being arrested by the evening.

"The NCW has taken action against the circulation of the disturbing videos on Twitter by issuing a notice to the platform. All those responsible for the reprehensible act will face appropriate punishment for their actions," she said.

Videos of the incident that occurred on May 4, a day after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur, went viral on Wednesday.

According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) , the two women were also gang-raped in a paddy field after being paraded naked while being groped by a mob. The gravity of the situation caught the attention of the Supreme Court, which has now also taken suo moto cognizance of the viral videos.

In response to the shocking incident, a bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justices P.S. Narasimha and Manoj Misra, have sought an action taken report from both the Central and state governments by July 28.

The apex court has made it clear that it will intervene if necessary actions are not taken promptly.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident and said that what happened with the daughters of Manipur cannot be forgiven.

He addressed the media before the Monsoon Session of Parliament, stating that the incident is a matter of shame and anguish for the entire nation.

The Prime Minister also assured the country that those responsible for the heinous act will not be spared.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with citizens across the country expressing  their solidarity with the victims and demanding justice for the appalling crime.