NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the probe into the Manipur video incident in which two tribal women from Kuki-Zo community can be seen paraded naked and brutally assaulted by a violent mob reportedly belonging to the Meitei community.
The CBI registered the case on the basis of the FIR registered by the Manipur police after the video clip went viral over the last two weeks. The agency has begun its investigation into the matter in the backdrop of seven accused already arrested in the case, the last arrest being made on July 24 evening from Thoubal district.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday issued a specific directive for the CBI to take up the matter and probe the incident which allegedly happened on May 4, in detail. In the 30-second clip that surfaced last week and sparked a nationwide outcry, two Kuki women could be seen being paraded after being stripped and were reportedly subjected to brutal sexual assault.
The cases were referred to it by the state government on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The six cases comprising five incidents of alleged criminal conspiracy and one of general conspiracy behind the violence in Manipur were reregistered by the CBI after being referred to it by the state government.
The incident had even affected the functioning of the Parliament Session, which opened on July 20 and was marred by political disruptions. While the Opposition parties sent a 21-member team to Manipur on Saturday to take stock of the ongoing unrest in the state, they have also moved a no-confidence motion against the government seeking a discussion on the issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the opening day of the Parliament also spoke outside Parliament and said he was pained and angry by the video - following which the opposition sought his statement in the House.
The MHA moved to get the matter investigated by the CBI came in the wake of Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement in Manipur, during his 4-day visit to the state, to get all major cases probed by the central investigating agency.
Soon after the Minister’s return the CBI had formed a 10-member special team headed by a DIG-rank officer to probe into the initial six cases related to the Manipur violence to investigate whether the cases were pre-planned or were just spontaneous.
The CBI will dispatch some more women officers, besides forensic experts, to probe the case, the officials said.
The video was doing the rounds of social media on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) to highlight the plight of tribals in Manipur.
According to a spokesperson of the ITLF, the "despicable scene, which had happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors".
The horrifying ordeal suffered by the two women is amplified by the perpetrators' decision to share the video, which reveals the identity of the victims, on social media.
Violence broke out in Manipur after a “solidarity march” was organised by the tribals in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Sporadic incidents of violence still continue in the state with tribal communities trading allegations against each other. So far, nearly 150 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been rendered homeless since the ethnic violence broke out nearly three months back.
(With inputs from PTI)