Drone Attack Scene in Manipur. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Days after a fresh flare up in Imphal West district killed two people and injured several others, the Staff Selection Commission (North East Region) has put up a notice cancelling the 2024 Combined Graduate Level Examinations that were supposed to be held in centres of Churachandpur and Ukhrul districts with service providers hesitating on account of the “law and order situation”.
Following the notice on the SSC (NER) website, the district administration in Churachandpur on Thursday (September 5, 2024) wrote to the Chief Secretary of Manipur, requesting the government to consider the “conducive law and order situation” and have the exams conducted in the public interest.
In the letter, the Deputy Commissioner of Churchandpur added that in April-May 2024, the Indian Army had conducted exams for the Agniveer scheme in Churachandpur as well and that a report had already been provided clearing the area for the exams.
On Wednesday (September 4, 2024), a notice on the SSC (NER) website was put up, notifying candidates that the CGLE-2024 examinations will not be conducted at the Churachandpur and Ukhrul district centres because the service providers had “expressed reservations” about it “due to the prevailing law and order situation”.
BJP’s Saikot MLA, Paolienlal Haokip, has also written a letter to the Chairman of the Staff Selection Commission over the cancellation, saying it was “truly disappointing”. He explained that a student from Churachandpur would need to travel for a “full day” to reach Aizawl, the centre closest to the district and spend at least ₹10,000 for it, which is a challenge for the around 3,000 students in the district, who are mostly from poor backgrounds.
He also sought to know what “reservations” the Commission had about conducting the examinations in centres of Churachandpur and Ukhrul districts.
In July this year, the Manipur government had asked the Churachandpur district to provide a report on the feasibility of conducting examinations in the district given the ongoing ethnic conflict in the State.
In response, the district authorities had in August submitted a report saying that the law and order situation was under control, resources for holding the examinations were present, and the safety and security of exam functionaries could be ensured.
Pressure builds to probe Manipur tapes
Meanwhile, the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) on Thursday wrote to the Home Ministry seeking an FIR against Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, the Arms Act, UAPA, and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, over the leaked Manipur audio clips.
In its letter petition, the KOHUR has sought an FIR to be registered by the Supreme Court-appointed investigative team headed by retired IPS officer Dattatreya Padsalgikar. The complaint for the FIR was filed through the outfit’s lawyer, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, and has also been marked to the MHA-constituted Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice (retd.) Ajay Lamba.
The audio clips, which were first leaked on social media a couple of months ago, contain the voice of a man alleged to be Mr. Singh, purportedly admitting to his complicity in the ongoing ethnic conflict between the valley-based Meitei community and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo community. Since then, the full recording has been submitted to the Lamba Commission along with an affidavit detailing the circumstances under which they had been recorded.
Published – September 05, 2024 11:12 pm IST
