Manipur viral video: 4 men arrested for parading women naked, police say ‘all out effort’ underway

Manipur Police have arrested four persons in connection with the viral video which showed two women, stripped naked, held and groped by a mob of men, and being dragged to a field. 

“Four main accused arrested in the Viral Video Case : 03 (three) more main accused of the heinous crime of abduction and gangrape under Nongpok Sekmai PS, Thoubal District have been arrested today. So total 04 (four) persons have been arrested till now.” Manipur Police informed via a Tweet on Thursday. 

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Manipur Police also noted that it is making an all-out effort to arrest the culprits at the earliest and raids are continuing. 

Two Kuki women were paraded naked by a mob on May 4 in the Thoubal district of Manipur and subsequently gangraped. Almost two months after the incident, the video of the incident went viral on social media, triggering anger across the country and a sharp comment by Prime Minister Modi.

Reportedly, the incident occurred soon after clashes in Churachandpur where the Kuki community had protested against a proposal to grant scheduled tribe status to the dominant Meitei community. 

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A recent report by LiveMint's sister publication Hindustan Times notes that a case was not registered in the heinous incident at the time owing to ‘communal tension’ in the state. After the video went viral, Manipur Police later took suo moto cognizance of the video on July 19 and informed that a case had been registered on charges of abduction, gang rape and murder at the Nongpok Sekmai police station in the Thoubal district.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh while talking about the action on Manipur viral video said, "We will not spare anyone. All the legislators of the ruling BJP condemn the incident in the strongest possible terms. Will give exemplary punishment to all those involved, even go to the extent of seeking capital punishment"

(With inputs from agencies)