Manipur Women Paraded Naked: Two Arrested After Outrage Over Incident

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Two
accused
involved
in
the
mob
that
paraded
two
tribal
women
naked
in
Manipur’s
Kangpokpi
district,
as
seen
in
a
viral
video,
have
been
arrested.
The
incident,
allegedly
filmed
on
May
4,
caused
escalating
tension
in
the
state
when
the
video
emerged
on
Wednesday,
depicting
two
women
from
one
community
being
paraded
naked
by
a
mob
from
the
other
side.
Reports
suggest
that
the
two
women
were
also
sexually
assaulted
before
being
released
by
the
majority
community
mob.

Addressing
the
media,
Chief
Minister
Biren
Singh
expressed
shock
and
referred
to
the
incident
as
“a
crime
against
humanity.”
He
asserted
that
efforts
would
be
made
to
seek
capital
punishment
for
all
the
accused,
and
the
hunt
for
the
culprits
commenced
immediately
upon
viewing
the
video.

Earlier,
in
response
to
nationwide
outcry,
the
Manipur
Police
arrested
one
of
the
main
accused,
Huirem
Heradash
Singh,
who
was
prominently
seen
directing
the
mob
in
the
26-second
video.
Authorities
are
currently
conducting
a
manhunt
to
apprehend
others
involved.

Taking
suo
motu
cognizance
of
the
video,
the
police
registered
a
case
of
abduction,
gang
rape,
and
murder
against
unknown
armed
men
at
the
Nongpok
Sekmai
police
station
in
Thoubal
district.

The
police,
under
the
supervision
of
senior
IPS
officers,
are
conducting
night-long
raids
in
an
all-out
effort
to
apprehend
the
culprits
as
swiftly
as
possible.

Tejashwi
Yadav
Hits
At
PM
Modi
For
Not
Visiting
Manipur;
Praises
Rahul
Gandhi

In
the
aftermath
of
the
incident,
villagers
set
fire
to
the
house
of
the
accused,
Heradash
Singh,
and
have
also
ostracized
his
family.

The
ethnic
violence,
which
began
on
May
3,
has
claimed
the
lives
of
more
than
160
people
and
left
several
others
injured.
The
unrest
was
sparked
when
a
‘Tribal
Solidarity
March’ was
organized
in
the
hill
districts
to
protest
against
the
Meitei
community’s
demand
for
Scheduled
Tribe
(ST)
status.

The
Meiteis,
constituting
around
53
percent
of
Manipur’s
population,
primarily
reside
in
the
Imphal
Valley,
while
the
tribals,
including
Nagas
and
Kukis,
make
up
approximately
40
percent
of
the
population
and
predominantly
inhabit
the
hill
districts.