Women paraded naked in Manipur: One arrested
A day after a two-month-old video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur surfaced on the internet, the main suspect Heradas was arrested
Manipur: A day after a two-month-old video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur surfaced on the internet, the main suspect Heradas (32) has been arrested by the police in Thoubal district.
Later, chief minister Biren Singh said, “After taking a Suo-moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning. A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment.”
The Supreme Court also took suo motu cognisance of the harrowing video showing two women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur’s Kangpokpi. Shortly after Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said that such an incident is unacceptable.
“The court is deeply disturbed by the visuals of the video which surfaced yesterday on the perpetration of sexual violence of women in Manipur. We are of the view that the court must be apprised of the steps taken by the government to hold the perpetrators accountable and that such instances are not repeated. The visuals which are portrayed in the media reflects gross constitutional infraction. Using women as an instrument to perpetrate violence in a charged atmosphere is simply unacceptable,” the CJI said.
The incident took place on May 4 took place where a mob of 800-1,000 people, suspected to be members of Meitei organizations, entered B. Phainom village carrying sophisticated weapons. They vandalized and looted properties, set houses ablaze, and launched an attack that sent five villagers fleeing to the forest in a desperate attempt to seek safety. The three women who were with him were abducted and subjected to an unspeakably brutal ordeal. Forced to strip naked, they were dragged to a paddy field, where one of them, a 19-year-old, was gang-raped by the assailants.
Later, the Manipur Police registered a case of abduction, gangrape, and murder, taking the incident with utmost seriousness.
