Manipur incident: 11-day police custody for 4, fifth suspect at large; locals torch houses of 2 accused

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

The Manipur Police today said the four accused arrested in the case relating to rape, murder and parading of two women naked in the violence-hit state on May 4 were produced before a local court, which remanded them in 11-day police custody.

Police officials said the four were arrested on Thursday following the surfacing of a 26-second video of the ghastly incident on social media platforms a day before. All of them were arrested from Thoubal district in the state.

The officials said one more suspect in the heinous crime was still at large. His house, located at Wangjing in Thoubal district, was vandalised and torched by angry locals on Friday afternoon, they said. The house of another key accused, who was arrested in connection with the case, was torched yesterday, hours after he was taken into custody, the officials said, adding that he was seen prominently directing the mob at B Phainom village in Kangpokpi district in the video.

It is learnt that the husband of one of the women seen in the video is a former Army man, who had served the force as a subedar in the Assam Regiment and even fought in the Kargil War. The war veteran rued that though he protected the country, he could not save his wife from being humiliated.

On May 18, a zero FIR (irrespective of jurisdiction) was registered at Kangpokpi , which, on June 21, was transferred to Thoubal, the place of the incident. The women were fleeing their village and were under police protection when a mob of around 900-1,000 men abducted them and paraded them in Thoubal, sources said.

The June 21 FIR, according to the officials, reveals horrors of the crime mentioning that the armed mob set fire to houses, killed several people before abducting two women in police presence. The women were later paraded naked and a video made.

In the FIR, it is claimed that one person was killed by the mob after he tried to save his sister from being raped on May 4. According to reports, over 160 people have lost their lives and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.

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