SC issues notice on 'killings' in Manipur

Expressing concern over spate of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the state government on a petition seeking an independent probe into around 1500 such cases.

Expressing concern over spate of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the state government on a petition seeking an independent probe into around 1500 such cases.

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A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai also asked the National Human Rights Commission to file its response to the allegations raised in the plea by November 5.

The court's direction came on public interest litigation (PIL) petition by an association of the families of the alleged victims, pleading with the apex court to set up a special investigation team and direct inquiry into all such cases.

The association alleged over 2000 odd extra-judicial killings have taken place in the state, but no one has been held guilty till date. "The petitioners seek orders from this court for setting up of a special investigation team of police officers of integrity from outside the state of Manipur to investigate all such killings," argued senior Colin Gonsalves on behalf of the petitioner.

Innocent people with no criminal records have been killed by the security forces and no proper investigation has been done in such cases, the petition alleged. "There were no criminal investigations and prosecutions of the guilty and even departmental enquiries were not conducted and no policemen or personnel of the security forces were punished departmentally for their actions," the petition read.