More than two months after three women were stripped and paraded by a mob in violence-hit Manipur, police said they have registered a case of gang-rape and abduction, and would soon make arrests. It is among the first cases of sexual violence to be reported and which is being followed up with police action after the clashes in the State started on May 3.
A video clip of the incident surfaced on social media on Wednesday. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) said in a statement that the ordeal suffered by the women is amplified by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video on social media revealing the identity of the victims. Two of the women are seen in the clip.
The incident is alleged to have taken place on May 4 at Nongpok Sekmai in Thoubal district when the three women were trying to escape a violent mob that had attacked their village in Kangpokpi district. A police source said that on May 18, a zero First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Kangpokpi police station, which has now been transferred to Thoubal, the place of incident. A zero FIR is registered irrespective of the jurisdiction or area power of the police.
One of the women was raped, the FIR said. The father and brother of the rape survivor were killed by the mob, according to a complaint filed by the village head. The complaint said the brother, aged 19, was killed while trying to protect his sister from the mob. Charges of murder have also been added.
The FIR stated that five villagers, including the three women, fearing for their lives had fled towards a forest and had been rescued by the police. However, the mob of around 900-1,000 men, some of them carrying sophisticated weapons, blocked the police team and snatched the five from the custody of the police, the FIR said.
The zero FIR was transferred to Thoubal police on June 21. It has been more than a month that a regular FIR was registered, but no arrests have been made.
A statement by the Manipur police said, “In regard to the viral videos of two women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on May 4, a case of abduction, gang-rape and murder etc. was registered against unknown armed miscreants and the investigation has been started. The State Police is making all-out effort to arrest the culprits at the earliest.”
The State government imposed an indefinite curfew in the five valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Kakching, and Thoubal districts on Wednesday after a protest march was planned by women’s group.
Hoihnu Hauzel, a Manipuri journalist, said on Twitter, “The women were paraded naked, fondled and beaten in full public glare. A disturbing video taken by a perpetrator leaked and got viral today. This breaks all level of humanity.”
Two more tactical headquarters
Meanwhile the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has deployed two senior officers from Nagaland and Assam to oversee the existing and additional companies deployed in Manipur in “view of present security situation.” It created two tactical headquarters in Kangpokpi and Jiribam districts, other than the one in Imphal.
The order said, “In view of the present security scenario in the State of Manipur and increased level of CRPF deployment, supervision of senior officers of the level of Deputy Inspector General across strategic places of the State has been felt essential and crucial. Accordingly, to have effective control and supervision over the existing and additional companies deployed in Manipur, DIG Ops (Operations) Kohima and DIG Silchar are temporarily placed in Manipur with immediate effect.”
Other than the State police, 124 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and 184 columns of the Army has been deployed in the State.
Internet has been suspended in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities erupted in the State. More than 140 people have been killed and over 54,000 people displaced in the ongoing violence.