New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India Monday termed as “horrendous” the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur and sought information about steps taken so far in the FIRs lodged.
Pointing out at the complicity of the state police, the SC said it will not want the state police to probe the matter as they virtually handed over the women to the rioting mob.
“This is horrendous. There are reports that these women were handed over to mob by the police. We now do not want the police to handle the probe,” the bench said.
The apex court said it is considering to constitute an SIT or a committee comprising former judges to monitor the situation in the strife-torn state subject to hearing the law officers representing the Centre and Manipur on Tuesday.
The bench, which listed a batch of petitions on Manipur violence for hearing on Tuesday, said though the incident of stripping and parading these women came to light on May 4 why the Manipur police took 14 days to register an FIR on May 18.
“What was the police doing? Why was an FIR in video case transferred to magisterial court on June 24, that is after one month and three days,” asked the bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
When Attorney General R Venkataramani sought time for responding to the queries, the bench said it was running out of time and there was “a great need” for giving a healing touch to the state, for those who lost everything including their loved ones and their homes.
The Supreme Court asked the state government to provide the details about the number of 'zero FIRs' registered in the state hit by ethnic violence since May 3 and the arrests made so far.
A zero FIR can be filed in any police station regardless of whether the offence was committed within its jurisdiction.
“We would also want to know the package for rehabilitation being provided to the state for affected people,” it said.
Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the state government, told the bench that the Union of India has no objection if the apex court decides to monitor the investigation in the cases of violence.
The apex court called for evolving a broader mechanism to deal with violence against women and asked how many FIRs have been registered in such incidents in the state since May.
The supreme court had on July 20 said it was "deeply disturbed" by the video and that using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is "simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy".
Taking cognisance of the video, a bench headed by the chief justice had directed the Centre and the Manipur government to initiate immediate remedial, rehabilitative and preventive steps and apprise it of the action taken.
"Take immediate action. Otherwise we will", the SC said.
Soon later Prime Minister Modi who was accused of keeping silence on the serious situation in Manipur, broke his silence and called the brutal incident "national shame". Following this, the state ran inton action and arrested some 6 persons who are reportedly seen in the viral video.
On July 27, the Centre informed the top court it has transferred the probe into the case to the CBI and asserted the government has "zero tolerance towards crimes against women".
Over 160 people have been killed and thousands of people, including hundreds who have been injured, are living in some 335 relief camps since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts dominated by Kuki tribals to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
With inputs from news agency PTI
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