Manipur: Horrific story of why 2 women were paraded naked revealed; main accused arrested

In the midst of shock and horror over a viral video from Manipur, reports quoting sources claimed on Thursday that the two tribal women displayed naked were carried away by a mob from police protection as ethnic violence flared up in the state early May. The same mob is accused of killing one of the women's teenage brother that day. The incident, captured in a viral video that surfaced recently, has led to nation-wide outrage and shock. The trigger for this egregious act was allegedly a fake video that circulated among the communities.

Also read: Manipur horror: Outrage ensues after 2 women paraded naked, allegedly gang-raped

The violence broke out on May 3 between the Meitei, the valley-majority tribe, and the Kuki, the hill-majority tribe, over the Meiteis' demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status. Clashes erupted following a tribal solidarity rally in the hill regions.

On May 4, as attacks and counterattacks between two groups intensified, a small group of people had fled for protection towards a forested area on the edges of a hills-valley, according to reports quoting police sources, including the two women. A mob allegedly invaded a village and chased the group after hearing false claims that women from their community had been sexually assaulted.

Two guys and three women made up the group. A 56-year-old man, his 19-year-old son, and his 21-year-old daughter were three members of a family. They were joined by two more women, one 42 and the other 52 years old.

The group came upon a Nongpok Sekmai police unit on their approach to the jungle, according to the FIR. The group and police officers were allegedly assaulted by an 800–1,000 man crowd roughly 2 km from the police station. The group was allegedly taken from the police's care by the mob.

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Tragically, the 19-year-old man from the group was killed on the spot while trying to protect his 21-year-old sister from the mob.

In a disturbing revelation, a police complaint filed by relatives of the women indicated that one of the women was gang-raped. Following the complaint, a zero FIR was registered on May 18 and later transferred to the Nongpok Sekmai police station, where the incident occurred.

Since May 3, the internet has been suspended in Manipur. The viral video emerged on social media on Wednesday, drawing widespread condemnation and calls for justice.

One of the mob members, Huirem Herodas Meitei, was arrested on Thursday, more than two months after the incident and a day after the video went viral. According to the authorities, the 32-year-old was visible in the footage wearing a green t-shirt.

Also read: Massive protest rally in Manipur after viral video of tribal women being paraded naked rocks nation (WATCH)

Through the assistance of face recognition technology, the police are attempting to identify the other defendant seen in the video. The police reported that almost a dozen teams are working on the matter, but it is unclear why nothing was done for 77 days.

• Manipur
• Viral Video
• Imphal