New Delhi (IANS). The Supreme Court on Wednesday shielded two educationists belonging to the Kuki-zo community from any coercive action by the Manipur police. The two were booked for editing a book that allegedly distorted the history of the state.

In the case Chief Justice of India DY. Chandrachud, Justice JB. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra issued the notice and granted interim protection from arrest for a period of three weeks.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the academics, sought quashing of the FIR registered against them under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (publishing rumours).

Professor Jangkhomang Guite of Manipur University and Assistant Professor Thongkholal Haokip of Jawaharlal Nehru University edited the book titled “The Anglo-Kuki War 1917-1919”, authored by Colonel Vijay Chenji (Retd).

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by Federation of Haomi, an Imphal-based civil society organisation. The FIR claimed that there was no Anglo-Kuki war in Manipur and the book wrongly depicts the Kuki insurgency from 1917 to 1919. It was also demanded that the book be banned “for the sake of justice and peace in the country”.