21-7-2023 (MANIPUR) In a disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves across the nation, a video has emerged showing two Kuki women being paraded naked by a violent mob in Manipur. The incident, referred to as a “crime against humanity” by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, has led to the arrest of four individuals so far. Singh has pledged that the state government will not rest until justice is served and those found guilty face the harshest punishment.
The appalling incident took place on May 4, in the aftermath of clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities. According to one survivor, the assault occurred near her village, B Phainom, in Kangpokpi district. The mob attacked them after they attempted to escape through a dirt lane upon hearing that Meitei mobs were ransacking homes in a neighboring village. Tragically, her neighbor and his son were killed a short distance away before the women were subjected to the horrifying ordeal.
As the distressed women resisted, the mob threatened to kill them if they didn’t strip off their clothes. In fear for their lives, they complied, and the men continued to physically assault them. The survivor, a woman in her forties, recalled being dragged to a paddy field and surrounded by three men who contemplated raping her but mercifully refrained from doing so. Nevertheless, they subjected her to further degradation by grabbing her breasts.
The police complaint, filed by the victims’ relatives, states that one of the women was gang-raped during the horrifying ordeal. The complaint led to the registration of a zero First Information Report (FIR) at the Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district on May 18. This enables any police station to accept and register the complaint and then forward it to the appropriate station.
The FIR implicates “unknown miscreants” numbering between 800 and 1,000, who allegedly carried sophisticated weapons like AK Rifles, SLR, INSAS, and .303 Rifles during the attack. The mob entered the village and proceeded to burn and vandalize homes, resulting in the victims fleeing towards the forest to seek safety.
A team from the Nongpok Sekmai police station came to the victims’ rescue, but tragically, they were later intercepted and snatched by the violent mob near Toubu, just two kilometers from the police station. The mob brutally killed one of the victims, a 56-year-old man, and then forced the three women to remove their clothes, parading them naked in front of the onlookers. Subsequently, the 21-year-old woman was subjected to a horrifying gang-rape in broad daylight, while the other two women managed to escape with the help of some locals known to them.
Regrettably, the younger brother of the gang-rape survivor valiantly tried to protect his sister’s modesty and life but was brutally murdered by members of the mob on the spot.
The complaint has now been transferred to the Nongpok Sekmai police station, where further investigations are expected to take place. However, as of now, the officer in charge of the station has not responded to inquiries about the progress of the investigation.
