7th accused in the strip-parade in Manipur arrested as protests continue

Imphal: More than a week after two women were paraded naked in Manipur, a seventh accused involved in the horrific act was arrested from Thoubal district on Monday.

The first arrest was recorded on July 20 a day after the footage surfaced, which stirred up nationwide protest and call for greater involvement of government to settle the violence.

Subsequently, a beleaguered state government made three more arrests later in the same day.

The fifth accused, a 19-year-old was arrested on Saturday before closely taking to custody the sixth accused who turned out to be a minor, NDTV reported citing police.

The strip-parading of women brought out the gravity of violence happening in the northeastern state leading to more unity across parties in reaction to the situation.

The more details of ‘parading’ supplied by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) claimed the horrific act occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, 35 kilometers from the state capital of Imphal.

There emerged unconfirmed reports of gang-rape of the women after parading them.

The police, however, said the incident occurred in a different district, nevertheless the First Information Report (FIR) was filed in Kangpokpi.

Parading of women took place a day after violence had broken out between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in reaction to Meitei's demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.

The violence so far claimed the lives of over 120 people and displaced thousands.