Imphal: The Union government has appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan as the chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry investigating the ethnic violence in Manipur, following the resignation of Justice Ajai Lamba.
According to a government order issued on February 26, Justice Lamba’s resignation will take effect on February 28. A notification published in the official gazette by the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that Justice Chauhan will assume charge of the commission from March 1.
The Commission of Inquiry was constituted on June 4, 2023, on the recommendation of the Manipur government to examine what was described as a matter of definite public importance. The panel was initially headed by Justice Lamba, former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court.
The commission has been mandated to inquire into the sequence of events and circumstances leading to the outbreak of ethnic violence in the state, and to determine whether there were lapses or dereliction of duty on the part of any authority or individual. It is also tasked with assessing the adequacy of administrative and law-and-order measures taken to prevent the violence and to respond to it.
The panel will further examine complaints and allegations submitted by individuals and organisations in connection with the unrest.
Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised in the hill districts to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list. The clashes have claimed over 260 lives and resulted in large-scale displacement and destruction of property.
The unrest was preceded by tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had triggered protests before escalating into widespread violence.