Manipur video row: House of main accused set on fire
Two days after a shocking video showing two women being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur surfaced, the house of the main accused was reportedly burned down by miscreants on Thursday. Videos and pictures have now surfaced on social media purportedly showing a group of protestors, mainly women, setting 32-year-old Huirem Herodas Meitei's house on fire.
Why does this story matter?
A video surfaced on Wednesday evening that showed a group of men parading and groping two naked women. Some media reports claimed the two were later gang-raped as well. According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), the incident happened in the Northeastern state's Kangpokpi district on May 4. The video sparked widespread outrage among the public, celebrities, and politicians across the country.
Huirem among 4 arrested in Manipur video row: Police
Notably, Huirem is among four people arrested by the Manipur Police on Thursday. Taking to Twitter, the state police confirmed, "Four main accused arrested in the viral video case." "Three more main accused of the heinous crime of abduction and gang-rape under Nongpok Sekmai PS, Thoubal District have been arrested today. So total four persons have been arrested till now," it added.
Visuals of mob burning down Huirem's home
Action delayed because didn't have video: Police on Manipur horror
Earlier, the police blamed the delay in action on a "lack of evidence" in the form of video. As per the Hindustan Times, Thoubal district Superintendent of Police (SP) Sachidananda stated that they only came to know about the video on Wednesday. "Now that we have evidence...we have swung into action and have begun making arrests," he added.
Manipur CM's strongly condemned incident
Manipur Chief Minister and top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader N Biren Singh, who has been under the cosh since violence broke out in the state, earlier labeled the incident as "inhuman" and asserted that the culprits deserve "capital punishment." While voicing strong condemnation, he called it a crime against humanity and assured that his government would not remain silent against this heinous crime.
Here's what SC said on Manipur video row
On Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) also took suo moto cognizance of the matter and asked the Manipur state government and the central government to take action immediately. The country's top court added that it would act if the ground situation in the violence-hit state did not improve. It scheduled the next hearing on the matter for next Friday.
Manipur witnessing violence since May 3: More details
At least 150 people have died in the violence following a May 3 protest against the Meitei community's Scheduled Tribe (ST) status demand in Manipur. Meiteis (53% of Manipur's population) claim they face difficulties due to large-scale illegal Bangladeshi and Myanmarese immigrants and restrictions on settling in the state's hilly regions. Meanwhile, Kukis and Nagas—who constitute 40% of the population—are concerned regarding their prospects.
