Manipur violence: Women paraded naked reached police Gypsy but given no help

Imphal: A chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) states that just before a mob in Manipur's Thoubal district paraded naked two women from the Kuki-Zomi community and sexually assaulted them, the two had "managed to sit inside the police Gypsy" parked on the side of the road, but the police driver informed them "there is no key" when they asked the police to start the car.

The police Gypsy contained two more male victims seated inside. The chargesheet stated that while a sizable crowd dragged the victims out of the car, all of the police officers present fled the scene.

According to the CBI inquiry, the violent event took place on May 3 in Churachandpur. In October, the chargesheet was submitted to a special court in Guwahati, against six people and one juvenile, Indian Express reported.

When contacted, DGP (Manipur) Rajiv Singh said, “Departmental action has been already taken against the police personnel.” When asked about any criminal action against them, he said, “We are not probing the case, the CBI is probing.”

A group of men forced the two women, one in her 20s and the other in her 40s, to walk naked towards the field in a video that went viral in July 2023 and incited protests around the country. The two women were seen being dragged by a few men who were also assaulting them sexually.

“A spate of incidents took place at other places thereafter. Mob belonging to the Meitei community initiated an attack on one village by setting houses on fire and also targeted a few residences in neighbouring villages. The mob deliberately set the church on fire. The investigation also revealed that on May 4, there was a meeting of the pradhans of surrounding Meitei villages and the chiefs of other community villages. However, despite the decision taken in the meeting, the mob burnt down the church, some houses and nearby villages,” the CBI said in the charge sheet.

“Probe has revealed that out of fear, the complainant, three victims and two men, another man with his daughter, and a grand-daughter, ran into the forest. The mob noticed the hiding place of members of a family and upon seeing them started shouting ‘people are hiding here’. The members of the mob with a big axe in hand rushed towards them and threatened them saying, ‘the way you people in Churachandpur treated us (Meitei people), we would do the same thing to you’. The mob forcefully brought all the family members to the main road and separated them, taking one of the victims and her granddaughter in one direction. Two women and their father and their village chief in one direction, while two women and two men in another direction,” the CBI said.

According to the CBI chargesheet, several members of the mob instructed the victims to approach a police gypsy that was parked close by on a village roadside.

“While approaching the police gypsy, the mob again separated the victims…Two (women) victims managed to get inside the police Gypsy. Two policemen along with a driver dressed in plain khaki uniform, were with them inside the police gypsy, and three to four policemen were outside. One male victim requested the policemen to start the vehicle, however, the driver of the police Gypsy replied, ‘There is no key’. They kept on begging the policemen repeatedly to help them and save a man being assaulted by the mob, but the ‘police did not help them’,” the CBI said in the charge sheet.

“…The driver of Gypsy suddenly drove and stopped the vehicle near the violent mob of around 1,000 people, and the male victim again requested the police to start the vehicle, but he was asked to keep silent. After some time, one police personnel came and told his colleagues that the man had stopped breathing. On hearing this, the male victim told the woman victim that his father was beaten to death,” the CBI said in the chargesheet.

The CBI investigation found that a sizable crowd had come back to the police Gypsy and shook the vehicle.

After receiving a request from the Manipur government and a notification from the Centre, the CBI registered the case. The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those pertaining to gangrape, murder, outraging the modesty of a woman, and criminal conspiracy. “The chargesheet has been filed against: Huirem Herodash Meitei (32), who was arrested by Manipur police on July 20, Arun Khundongbam alias Nanao (31), arrested by Manipur police on July 21, Ningombam Tomba Singh alias Tomthin (18), arrested by Manipur police on July 20, Pukhrihongbam Suranjoy Meitei (24), arrested by Manipur police on July 22, Nameirakpam Kiram Meitei (30), arrested by Manipur police on July 24 and a juvenile, apprehended by Manipur police on July 20,” the chargesheet said.