The Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has said that it is ‘not happy’ with the response of the Thoubal Police Station regarding the delay in the 30-year-old cases for which the commission had earlier sought response from the concerned station.
Responding to the notice issued by Manipur Human Rights Commissioner (MHRC) over pending cases since 1999 at the Thoubal PS, the police station replied that police officers have been engaged in the ongoing ethnic clashes for a year now, a situation which has caused proliferation of armed miscreants creating all sorts of law and order issue within the district.
The reply of the Thoubal PS also stated that the Supreme Court had directed the formation of SITs to dispose ethnic clash related cases. While police officers have been working very hard and focusing on disposing of Supreme Court, SIT cases and grappling with this matter, the Lok Sabha Elections too have caused an overwhelming load on the shoulders of the police officers. Due to the Lok Sabha elections, many police officers had to be transferred out from their postings to newer posts, while the Model Code of Conduct is still in force, the reply further stated.
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To this, the MHRC expressed unhappiness and stated that “We are not happy that the letter dated May 6, 2024 as well as the status report, as we have issued notice regarding the delayed of investigation of the murdered cases for which FIR was lodged either 30 years ago or a decade, at that time there was neither any ethnic clash nor Lok Sabha election. This type of reply to the notice of this Commission is totally unwarranted”.
The commission stated that they are very much aware that the police are not only in charge of the investigation into crimes, but they are also in charge of the Law and Order but that does not mean that the FIR lodged relating to the murder case will be pending for 30 years or a decade.
Considering the pendency of the investigation, the commission suggested that the Comissioner (Home) as well as the DGP, Manipur, may take decision as to whether police official can be divided into two wings - one wing will be discharge the duty of maintaining law and order and other wing will be investigated the serious cases like murder, rape and other serious offences for which probably the government of Manipur, like other government, created the post namely Director of Prosecution in the Police Department and at present one person is holding the post, whose duty is to see as to whether the investigation of the cases relating to Prosecution.
“We make it clear that we are not directing the division of the police into two wings, we are only suggesting a division of wings for the end of justice”, the commission said.
It also mentioned that the suggestion is not only the Thoubal Police Station.
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