 "Police abandoned Manipur women to mob that paraded them naked: CBI")
A charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has revealed the events that unfolded in Manipur's Churachandpur district, where two women from the Kuki-Zomi community were paraded naked and sexually assaulted on May 3 last year.
The charge sheet, according to the Indian Express (IE), said the two women sought refuge in a police Gypsy nearby, but the driver said he was unable to start the jeep because "there was no key". The driver and other police personnel then allegedly left the vehicle and abandoned the women and two men at the mercy of the violent mob, according to the newspaper.
This news comes nearly a year after a video of the women went viral, triggering nationwide outrage. The video showed the women, one in her 40s, the other in her 20s, being made to walk naked towards a field by a mob. The video also showed some men dragging the women and sexually assaulting them. Mobs also set houses on fire in Churachandpur and nearby villages.
"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 charge sheet said, according to IE.
The CBI said its probe revealed that as violence erupted, the women sought refuge in a forest but were chased down and separated by the mob.
As the mob got closer to a police gypsy, some of the victims managed to get inside the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, there were two policemen and a driver. There were also a few policemen standing outside the gypsy. One of the male victims pleaded with the police to drive the vehicle. however, the driver said there was "no key".
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The charge sheet also alleged that the police driver suddenly started the vehicle, despite his earlier claims of not having a key, only to take the victims closer to the mob. When one of the “male victims” asked for help, he was told to be silent.
“They pulled out a male victim and two women victims from inside the Gypsy. The policemen, meanwhile, left from the spot leaving the victims alone with the mob. They tore off the clothes of both the women victims and started thrashing a male victim… One of the woman victims was present at the nearby spot and witnessed the entire incident,” the CBI told IE.
The CBI investigation, initiated following a request from the Manipur government, has resulted in charges against six individuals and one juvenile. They have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including gangrape, murder, and criminal conspiracy.
“The charge sheet 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,” said the CBI.