Complete breakdown of law and order in Manipur, says SC summons DGP
New Delhi (PTI): There is complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in Manipur, an outraged Supreme Court observed on Tuesday while terming the investigation carried out by the state police as "tardy" and "too lethargic".
Excoriating the law enforcement machinery over unbridled ethnic violence, it said the state police have lost control over the law and order situation, and demanded the personal presence of the Director General of Police (DGP) when it hears a clutch of petitions on the mayhem in the northeastern state on Monday.
The bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which had called as "deeply disturbing" the May 4 video of two women being paraded naked, sought details from the state government about the date of occurrence of the incident and registration of 'zero FIR' and regular FIR in the case.
It also wanted to know how many accused were named in the over 6,000 FIRs registered so far and the steps taken for their arrest.
"The investigation is so lethargic, FIRs are registered after so long, arrests not made, statements not recorded...There is a complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in the state," a bench headed by Chandrachud remarked orally.
Tension had soared in Manipur, tormented by unabated ethnic violence, after a May 4 video surfaced recently that showed two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a mob from the other side.
"One thing is very clear that there is long delay in registering FIR in video case," Chandrachud remarked orally.
As the hearing began, the Manipur government told the bench it has lodged 6,523 FIRs after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Manipur government, told the a bench the state police lodged a 'zero' FIR in the case of stripping and parading of the two women naked.
A zero FIR can be lodged at any police station irrespective of its territorial jurisdiction which is later transferred to the police station within whose limits an incident has happened.
Mehta told the top court the Manipur police have arrested seven people, including a juvenile, in the video case.
It appears that the state police recorded the statement of the women after the video surfaced, Mehta told the bench.
Earlier in the day, the top court directed the CBI not to proceed with recording the statements of the victim women during the day as it is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions on the issue at 2 pm.
The bench, which also comprises justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, took note of the submissions by lawyer Nizam Pasha, appearing for the two women, that the CBI has asked them to appear and depose before it during the day.
The top court had on Monday described as "horrendous" the video amid reports that the police handed the helpless women over to the rioting mob. It asked searching questions about delayed registration of the FIR and mooted the idea of setting up a committee of retired judges or an SIT to oversee the probe.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
