The three-member Commission of Inquiry, constituted by the Centre in early June to comprehensively investigate the ethnic conflict underway in Manipur, will hold public hearings at its head office in Imphal and at its camp office in Delhi.
The Commission of Inquiry (Manipur Violence) is headed by Justice Ajay Lamba, former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, and also includes one retired IAS officer and one retired IPS officer. It was set up in June after Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the conflict-ridden State in late May.
In the regulations of procedure stipulated by the Commission and notified by the Manipur Gazette last month, the Commission had said that two primary offices had been allotted to it for its sittings. The first is its head office in Room 104 of the Hotel Imphal (By The Classic) in Imphal, and the other is a camp office, which will be run from Room 13 on the first floor of the Heritage Building in the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the national capital.
Besides these locations, the Commission is empowered to hold a hearing anywhere else in India as well, “as the circumstances might demand”.
Hill-valley divide
Over the four months since the ethnic conflict in Manipur began, tens of thousands of people — mostly from the Kuki-Zo community — have fled the State to neighbouring States and other parts of the country, including Delhi.
Within weeks of the violence starting, the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities had been divided between the hill and valley areas respectively. This has since prevented Kuki-Zo people from going into the valley and any Meitei person from going into the hills.
Accordingly, in a meeting with Mr. Shah, tribal bodies had sought a camp office of the Commission in Churachandpur in the hills region as well.
So far, over 160 people have been killed in the violence, which also left hundreds injured and internally displaced tens of thousands of people.
Laying ground rules
In the regulations, the Commission said that it would hold sittings on all days between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (including an hour-long break at 1 p.m.), and that all proceedings would be conducted, by default, in English.
However, the regulations added that the proceedings may be conducted in Hindi if the Commission decides to do so, in light of the “peculiar facts and circumstances”, provided that a simultaneous English translation is recorded.
While the proceedings have been kept open to the public throughout, the regulations said that the Commission may conduct some proceedings in-camera or privately if it felt the need to do so, either in public interest or for any other good reason as deemed so by the Commission.
Virtual, hybrid mode allowed
The Commission will depose witnesses, complainants, and any other officials or persons it deems necessary for the subject matter under probe. It added that sworn affidavits would be required of anyone who deposes before the Commission, further allowing for virtual or hybrid-mode proceedings.
It added that all communication to the Commission should be addressed to the Registrar or Secretary to the Commission at the address of the Delhi camp office.
In addition to requiring affidavits from all deponents, the Commission said that no person or party would be allowed to insist on an oral examination of any deponent, adding that cross-examination could be conducted by passing on questions to the deponents through affidavits.
