CBI deploys 53 officers, including 29 women, to investigate Manipur violence incidents

The CBI has initiated a significant mobilization effort, assigning 53 officers (including 29 women) from various units across the country to investigate cases of violence in Manipur. This move, reportedly unprecedented, aims to avoid bias allegations by minimizing the involvement of local officers. The team, led by three DIGs (Lovely Katiyar, Nirmala Devi, and Mohit Gupta) and SP Rajveer, will be overseen by Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay.

The CBI has already registered eight cases, including incidents like the stripping and parading of women by a mob, which gained widespread attention after a video surfaced on social media. An additional nine cases related to Manipur violence will be investigated, bringing the total under the agency’s scrutiny to 17. Moreover, the agency is open to investigating other instances of crime against women or sexual assault in the state. The CBI will transfer forensic samples to its Central Forensic Science Laboratory in the national capital.

The Manipur operation is delicate due to ethnic divides. The CBI aims to prevent bias allegations, as any affiliation of individuals from a particular community might lead to finger-pointing. Ethnic violence began after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status, resulting in over 160 fatalities and numerous injuries. Meiteis make up 53% of the population and reside mainly in the Imphal Valley, while 40% are tribal communities such as Nagas and Kukis, primarily living in the hill districts.