Police are investigating whether they were involved in the horrifying event in which two ladies were paraded naked by a mob in the state of Manipur. Global uproar was caused by a viral video. Many people are baffled as to why the police took so long to act after arresting four men and announcing more.
The BBC has seen a copy of the written complaint made by a relative of one of the ladies, and another incriminating element that has come to light is that the mob is said to have taken the survivors from police custody. Two of the survivors have even claimed that despite the police’s presence, they “didn’t do anything to help them.”
Police officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity in certain media stories said that they were “outnumbered” but the police have not refuted the allegations.
An anonymous senior government official told the BBC that the police had received more than 6,000 complaints since the unrest began on May 3 and that the “small size of Manipur police” may have contributed to the delay in handling this issue. He added that the accused would have been detained sooner if the government had seen the footage earlier.
The Manipur police have received inquiries from the BBC and have also been reached by phone. However, they have not answered.
The lawsuit states that the survivors, who were between the ages of 21 and 42, were traveling with a party of five people, including an older woman and two males who were the young woman’s father and brother.
The gang was trying to escape the horrific ethnic hostilities that have been roiling the state’s northeastern border with Myanmar for more than two months. Conflicts between members of the Kuki ethnic tribes and the Meitei majority have resulted in their total segregation. 60,000 people have been evacuated, and at least 130 individuals have died. The Kuki survivors who can be seen in the film were attacked by guys from the Meitei gang.
The women were attacked in the early stages of the battle as they were attempting to flee their hamlet, which had just been invaded and set on fire by “a mob of about 800 to 1,000 men, many of them armed.”
They claimed in their lawsuit that after being saved by the police, they were “snatched by the violent mob” and made to disrobe.
According to the complaint, the 21-year-old “was brutally gang-raped in broad daylight” and the men were executed. Despite not being visible in the video, the third woman had also been made to strip, it continued.
The terrible video, which depicts the victims sobbing, squirming in pain, and pleading for mercy from their assailants, was extensively shared on social media on Wednesday.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who claimed the Supreme Court was “deeply disturbed over the video,” was among many who expressed outrage. He also threatened the administration, saying, “We will take action if you don’t.” Additionally, the opposition legislators’ demands for a debate on the subject have caused two days of disruption in the house.
The anger brought attention to the terrible crime and compelled the government to take action.
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