SC seeks report on 25 deaths in Manipur camps

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Manipur Chief Secretary to submit a comprehensive affidavit regarding deaths, especially unnatural ones, in relief camps within the strife-torn state. A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, expressed deep concern over the reported deaths in the camps and questioned the actions undertaken by state authorities to probe these incidents.

The court requested the chief secretary to furnish specifics on 25 unnatural deaths recorded in relief camps, including post-mortem reports to determine the causes of death and information on preventive measures implemented to prevent similar occurrences. The bench also expressed doubt over the conduct of post-mortems, as only 20 out of 34 death cases were reported to have undergone such examinations, as per the material presented to the court.

The bench probed the Manipur government on the lack of significant action taken in response to the reported deaths. During the hearing, CJI Kant warned the state administration to "not invite orders" and requested details on the measures taken by the administration. The court also inquired about the compensation provided to internally displaced persons who had died unnatural deaths while staying in the relief camps, questioning why the compensation of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 was given, considering the higher compensation awarded in other cases arising from the violence.