• CBI deploys 53 officers to investigate ethnic clashes in Manipur

    North East
    CBI deploys 53 officers to investigate ethnic clashes in Manipur
    CBI delegated 53 officers, including 29 women, from its units across the country to investigate Manipur violence charges...

    Digital Desk:  In a significant rise, on August 16, the CBI deployed 53 officers, including 29 women, from its units across the nation in a huge mobilisation to look into cases of violence in Manipur. 

    Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who will oversee the investigation, will get a report from the team, which consists of three DIGs (Lovely Katiyar, Nirmala Devi, and Mohit Gupta), as well as Superintendent of Police Rajveer. 

    They claimed that it was the first mobilisation of its sort to simultaneously call in such a huge number of female cops. 

    According to sources, several of these instances under investigation by the CBI may fall under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which can be investigated by an officer with the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. 

    The 53-member team also includes two additional superintendents of police and six deputy superintendents of police, all of whom are female, they claimed. 

    The agency has despatched three DIGs and one SP to oversee and monitor the investigations as the Deputy Superintendents of Police cannot act as supervisory officers under such circumstances, they claimed. 

    They also stated that the team will include 16 inspectors and 10 sub-inspectors. When such a high number of cases are handed over to the CBI, the agency usually relies on the state in question to provide manpower as well, according to officials. 

    However, in the instance of Manipur, officials said they will endeavour to minimise the role of local officers to avoid any suspicions of bias in the investigation. 

    The agency has already recorded eight charges, including two connected to a mob stripping and parading women on May 4, an incident that drew outrage after a video of it surfaced on social media on July 16. 

    The CBI is scheduled to begin investigating nine more cases related to Manipur unrest, bringing the total number of cases investigated by the agency to 17, according to officials. 

    According to officials, the CBI faces the vital task of avoiding claims of prejudice during the Manipur operation because any engagement of members from one community is likely to result in finger-pointing. 

    All forensic samples will be transferred to the central investigation agency's Central Forensic Science Laboratory in the national capital.