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| Manipur Viral Video Case: 4 Accused Sent to 11-Day Police Custody | |
| 2023-07-22 | |
Follow up to this horrifying story from yesterday. [OneIndia] All four accused individuals allegedly involved in a heinous incident where three women were stripped, paraded, and assaulted by a mob on May 4, were remanded to 11-day police custody, as reported by ANI, citing Manipur police. The arrests were made after a viral video of the shocking event surfaced on social media.According to coppers, the investigation team has identified at least eight more men who were also part of the incident, and they are likely to be arrested soon. This action comes 77 days after the horrifying incident took place, which sparked nationwide outrage. The police had reportedly refrained from taking any action earlier due to a perceived lack of evidence, as mentioned in the Indian Express report. Additionally, on Thursday, a mob took matters into their own hands and set fire to the house of one of the accused individuals, who was prominently seen in the viral video of the women being paraded naked in Manipur. The house belonged to the main accused, Huirem Herodas Meitei. Various videos circulating online showed protestors, primarily women, setting fire to the accused's residence as an act of retribution. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Friday condemned the incident and said that the "Manipur society is against crime against women." "...They consider women as their mothers. We have launched statewide condemnation protests, both in the valley and hills, over the video that went viral and tarnished the state's image. People are protesting across the state regarding the incident and demanding the strictest punishment for the accused. This protest is to support the government to punish the accused," he said.
A "thorough investigation" was under way, the state’s chief minister N. Biren Singh tweeted. "We will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment," he added. The incident came at the start of the violence in Manipur, which was sparked by a dispute over access to government jobs and other perks. Homes and churches were torched, with tens of thousands of people fleeing to government-run camps. The festivities between vigilante gangs from rival communities have continued intermittently, pitting the majority Meitei, who are mostly Hindus and live in and around Imphal, against the mainly Christian Kuki in the surrounding hills. In a detailed report to the court in June, civil society group Manipur Tribal Forum said many gruesome acts of violence including rape and beheading had not been investigated by state authorities. One such incident appeared on Twitter on Thursday — reportedly showing an aide to a BJP politician in the state holding a victim’s severed head — and disappeared from the platform within hours. The Kuki community had protested Meitei demands for reserved public job quotas and college admissions as a form of affirmative action, stoking long-held fears that they might also be allowed to acquire land in areas currently reserved for tribal groups. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has faced criticism from opposition politicians, said on Thursday in his first public remarks on the violence that the country was "shamed" by the incident. India’s Supreme Court also warned Modi’s government that, if it does not act, "we will". | |
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