Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 18Slamming the Centre and the Manipur government for their inaction in alleged rape and extra-judicial killings in Manipur by security forces, the Supreme Court today hinted at handing over at least two of the cases to the CBI for investigation.A Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur asked the Centre to suggest names of CBI officers who have experience in working in the northeast for possibly assigning the probe to them in two cases.“You may have two alleged rapists. Why you have kept quiet?” the Bench asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. “These are allegations only. The question is whether rape was committed by the Army personnel,” Rohatgi replied.In one case, the victim was allegedly raped and killed while the other victim committed suicide after being raped.The Bench asked the Army as to why it maintained silence despite the fact that a Commission of Enquiry pointed to rape/murder by its men. It also pulled up the Manipur government for its failure to take up these cases with the Army.During the hearing, a senior Army officer told the Bench that one of the women committed suicide after being frisked. It was made a case of molestation and then rape. But petitioner’s counsel Menaka Guruswamy questioned the Army’s version of the incident: “No one commits suicide for being frisked… it seems the Constitution has not reached Manipur.”The SC had last year passed a landmark verdict on extrajudicial killings in Manipur, limiting the powers of security forces under AFSPA. “The girl was subjected to rape. Did you close the case because you didn’t get help from Army? Is it your helplessness or a tacit understanding with the Army not to proceed?” the Bench asked.