Manipur video: Survivors move SC seeking separate probe
The Supreme Court on Monday will hear petitions filed by two women, who were paraded naked on May 4 in strife-torn Manipur, for suo moto action and a fair probe in the case. The survivors have also sought the protection of their identities. The SC will also hear the Centre's request to transfer the trial in the case out of Manipur.
Why does this story matter?
Manipur has been engulfed by ethnic violence for nearly three months, which has resulted in over 180 deaths, as per Reuters, and nearly 70,000 people being displaced. A video of the May 4 incident surfaced on July 19—more than two months after the violence erupted—sparking global outrage and prompting the government to act. Seven people have been arrested in the case so far.
If the government doesn't act, we will: SC
A day after the video surfaced, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the incident and directed the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate action, saying, "If the government does not act, we will." The SC on Friday was set to hear several petitions related to the Manipur violence, but it was postponed as Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud fell ill.
7 cases transferred to CBI, 3 others to NIA
Last week, the Centre told the SC that seven cases linked to the ethnic violence in Manipur, including the May 4 incident, have been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Three other cases have been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country's primary counter-terrorism task force. Notably, over 6,000 FIRs have been filed in Manipur since the violence erupted.
Conspiracy to defame government: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the cases' transfer, saying, "We want, for the sake of impartiality, trials in these cases to be held outside...Manipur." He said neither the Indian Army nor the police were present during the aforementioned incident. He said prima facie, the video was leaked on the eve of Parliament's Monsoon Session as part of a conspiracy to embarrass the government.
Police handed us over to mob: Survivor
One of the survivors seen in the video reportedly claimed that she was gang-raped, adding that the police were with the mob when it attacked their village. In an interview with The Indian Express, she claimed that when they were fleeing, the police rescued them at first but later handed them over to the mob.
