Manipur Violence: CBI Chief Arrives in Imphal to assess Investigations Progress

CBI Director Praveen Sood on Monday arrived in Imphal to assess the progress of investigations into the Manipur ethnic violence, according to officials.

The agency has taken charge of 27 cases of violence previously under state police investigation. The violence, which began in May, has resulted in over 175 fatalities and the displacement of thousands.

Sood, who assumed the role of the first chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May, has visited almost all agency units within months of taking charge. He landed at Imphal airport from Guwahati around 5 pm and was received by state Director General of Police Rajiv Singh, as per officials.

Discussions on the current state of affairs in the state took place between Sood and Singh, officials mentioned.

The ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3 following a “Tribal Solidarity March” organized in the state’s hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis, constituting approximately 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and residing mainly in the Imphal valley, clashed with Nagas and Kukis, who make up just over 40 per cent and live in the hill districts.