The incident of two women being paraded naked on the road in Manipur has shaken the entire country. The husband of one of these victims was in the Indian Army. He was on the post of Subedar in the Assam Regiment. He is broken because of the brutality that happened to his wife. According to the PTI report, his pain came out while talking to the local media about the incident. He regretted saying, ‘I fought for the country in the Kargil war and was also in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian peacekeeping force. I protected the country, but I am sorry that I could not protect my wife and fellow villagers.
He said that on the morning of May 4, a mob burnt several houses in the area, stripped the two women and forced them to walk on the village road in front of people. He said that the police were present when all this was happening, but no action was taken. I want severe punishment for all those who burnt houses and humiliated women.”
Brutality with women happened on 4th May
The complaint of this incident which took place on 4th May was given to the police on 18th May. The police had registered an FIR in this matter on 21 June. According to the FIR, it has been said in the complaint that at 3 pm on May 4, unknown people attacked his village. That day 900 to 1000 people attacked his village located in Thoubal. These attackers belonged to the Meitei community. The mob attacked the village, set houses on fire and then looted valuables including cash and jewellery.
On being attacked, three women along with their father and brother ran towards the forest. The police team saved them. The police was taking them to the police station when the crowd blocked the way. And snatched those women and their father-brother from the police. All this happened two kilometers before reaching the police station. The mob killed the father of those women in front of the police. After this, the three women were forced to take off their clothes. One of them was 21 years old, the second was 42 years old and the third was 52 years old.
– The video of two women of the Kuki community walking naked on the road went viral on social media on July 19, after which the matter caught fire. It can be seen in the video that the mob is not only driving women on the road, but is also doing indecency.
‘Video viral after internet ban lifted’
The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the Chief Secretary and DGP of Manipur and has sought a reply within 4 weeks. The government has asked social media platforms including Twitter to remove the videos of cruelty with immediate effect. The government says that investigation is going on in the matter. The video has gone viral after the internet ban was lifted in the state.
More than 150 died in two and a half months
The violence in Manipur dates back to May 3, when the Kuki community took out a ‘tribal solidarity march’ in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST). So far more than 150 people have lost their lives in this violence. On May 4, the mob had brutalized these women. The population of Manipur is about 53 percent of the Meitei community. They live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while the Kuki and Naga tribesmen account for 40 percent and live mostly in the hill districts.
Four arrests so far, main accused burnt
The video of harassment of women surfaced on 19 July. After this, there has been a ruckus from the road to the Parliament. The central government and the state government came under attack from the opposition. While controlling the damage, within 24 hours, apart from the main accused Huirem Herdas, the police have so far arrested four accused Arun Singh, Jeevan Elangbam and Tomba Singh. All are residents of Thoubal district only.
According to the Manipur Police, with the help of the viral video, the rest of the accused have been identified and arrested. Twelve joint teams of Manipur Police and Central forces are conducting a search operation to arrest 12 more suspects. At the same time, demonstrations are being held at various places in Manipur regarding this incident. Not only this, the angry mob burnt the house of accused Huirem Herdas on Friday.