New Delhi: The Manipur government has told the Supreme Court that 142 people were killed in the state as of July 4 due to the ongoing violence, and the majority of them were reported from Imphal West and Imphal East districts.

In response to the Supreme Court’s July 3 order, which sought an ‘updated status report’ on the situation in the state, the Manipur government on Monday, July 10, submitted its report.

The government’s 16-page report noted that 5,995 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered as of July 4 and six “important FIRs” had been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation “independently and with transparency”, according to The Hindu.

Violence still continues to rage in the state even after two months despite Union and state governments stating that efforts are being made to bring the situation under control. According to fact-finding teams and The Wire‘s team of reporters, which visited the state, over 200 people have lost their lives and over 60,000 people have been displaced since the violence broke out on May 3. There are no signs of normalcy returning, as a policeman was killed and 10 people were injured in Phayeng and Singda villages of Kangpokpi district in fresh violence on Monday.

According to the Indian Express, the official report said Imphal West and Imphal East collectively accounted for 58 of these deaths – 29 each. Churachandpur, another worst-affected district, reported 26 deaths. The valley districts of Kakching and Bishnupur registered 21 deaths and 18 deaths respectively. On the other hand, the hill district of Kangpokpi recorded eight deaths. The other districts where deaths have been recorded are Tengnoupal (4), Thoubal (4), Kamjong (2), and Chandel (1).

As for arson, it said there had been 5,053 reported incidents of arson till July 3, of which the most were in Kangpokpi (1,091), followed by Churachandpur (1,043). As many as 938 incidents of arson were reported in Imphal East and 528 in Bishnupur.

It said 54,488 people were still living in 354 relief camps. The Centre, the Manipur government said, had provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 101 crore for the management of relief camps.

Taking note of the status report filed by the Manipur government, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud said the Supreme Court’s role in de-escalating the situation in Manipur is limited and said that it is the responsibility of the elected government to bring the situation under control. The court was hearing two separate petitions filed by the Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi and the Chairman of the Hill Areas Committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

The court also told the petitioners not to use court proceedings to escalate the ongoing conflict and urged them to maintain restraint when one of the petitioners alleged that Manipur violence is a case of “state-sponsored” terrorism.

SC dismisses petition of Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi 

The apex court on Tuesday, July 11, dismissed the petition by the Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi, which sought protection for the Kuki tribe by the Indian Army, Deccan Herald reported.

The court said it would not be appropriate to issue such orders to the Army and paramilitary forces. However, it said it will impress upon the Union and state governments to make arrangements for the protection of citizens in Manipur.

Female lawyer booked under sedition granted protection from arrest 

The court also granted interim protection from arrest to Deeksha Dwivedi, a lawyer against whom a case was registered by the Manipur Police under sedition and other charges. She was part of a three-member fact-finding team, along with Annie Raja and Nisha Siddhu of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), which visited the state to understand the situation on the ground.

After concluding their visit to various parts of the state, they addressed a press conference in which they described the crisis as “state-sponsored violence”.

A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Manoj Misra will hear Dwivedi’s petition on July 14.