Top court pulls up CBI, summons DIG

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said on Monday that it was ‘disappointed’ with the CBI for ‘failing’ to register an FIR in most of the 98 cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur.

The top court summoned the DIG in charge of the state’s special investigating team (SIT) to be personally present before it on January 15.

A bench headed by Justice MB Lokur regretted that despite SC fixing December 31, 2017 as the deadline for the completion of the the probe, the CBI had so far registered only 11 FIRS and failed to file its final report before the court in the matter.

While directing the personal presence of the DIG, the bench also ordered additional solicitor general Maninder Singh to submit a status report on the progress of the investigation made by the SIT.

The court also agreed to look into at fresh application moved by the Extra Judicial Execution Victims Families Association (EEVFAM), claiming that a head constable of Manipur police has come forward to testify that he was an eye witness to many fake encounter killings and had also participated in some of them on the directions of his seniors.

SC had on July 14, 2017 directed the CBI to take up the cases and and ordered probe into alleged role of state police and security personnel in the ‘fake encounters’. SC had said no member of the Manipur police shall be part of the CBI’S SIT as the allegations are mostly against the local police.

The court’s order came on a PIL filed by the EEVFAM, which had claimed that between 19852001, 1,528 people had been killed in fake encounters by police personnel and armed forces. PUNE: Pune police on Monday booked members of Kabir Kala Manch for promoting enmity between the two groups and instigating violence at Koregaon Bhima on January 1.

The cultural organisation’s members Sudhir Dhavale and others had participated in the “Elgar Parishad”, an event organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-koregaon, at Shaniwar Wada in the city on December 31.

In the FIR, Dhavale along with others including Sagar Gorkhe, Harshali Potdar, Ramesh Gaychor, Deepak Dengle and Jyoti Jagtaop have been accused of delivering provocative speeches, shouting slogans and reciting songs.

The Kabir Kala Manch members have been charged under section 153(a), 505(1)(b) and 117 and 34 of Indian Penal Code. The FIR was lodged based on the complaint filed by Tushar Ramesh Damgude at Vishrambaug police station.