Another Accused Arrested In Case Of Women Being Paraded Naked In Manipur
Mumbai: Another man accused of parading women naked amid ethnic violence in Manipur has been arrested, CM N Biren Singh said. The police made the first arrest in the case earlier in the day and the man has been identified as 32-year-old Huirem Herodas Meitei.
As a video allegedly taken on May 4 of two women from one of the state’s warring factions being paraded naked by a mob from the other side emerged on Wednesday, tensions in Manipur increased.
The mob, which was made up of the majority population, allegedly sexually assaulted the two ladies before releasing them.
N Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, expressed “shock” over the incident in an appearance on television and termed it “a crime against humanity.” He added that “the hunt for the culprits started immediately after seeing the video,” and that “we will make all efforts to get capital punishment for all of the accused.”
The Manipur Police had earlier detained one of the key culprits, who was clearly seen leading the mob in the 26-second video that leaked on Wednesday, in response to widespread outrage. 32-year-old Huirem Heradash Singh was taken into custody in the Thoubal district. Authorities are currently on the hunt for the other participants.
The police filed a complaint of kidnapping and gang rape, and murder against unnamed armed individuals at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district after taking suo motu notice of the video.
An all-out attempt is being made to catch the offenders as soon as possible, with nighttime raids being supervised by senior IPS officers.
Following the incident, locals burned down Heradash Singh’s home and shunned him and his family.
More than 160 people have killed and several others have been hurt since ethnic violence first broke out in the area on May 3. The disturbance started when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation.
The majority of the Meiteis, who make up about 53% of Manipur’s population, live in the Imphal Valley. On the other side, tribal people, such as the Nagas and Kukis, make up about 40% of the population and are mainly concentrated in the hill districts.
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