Police have arrested the fifth accused in connection with the video that surfaced on July 19 showing two women being paraded naked by a mob in strife-torn Manipur, police said. The accused has been identified as a 19-year-old, police said. The four who were earlier nabbed for disrobing and parading two women in Manipur on May 4 were remanded to 11-day police custody on Friday, police said. The arrests were made on Thursday, a day after the 26-second video surfaced on July 19. The house of the key accused in the case was torched on Thursday, hours after he was arrested by police. According to police, he was seen prominently directing the mob at B. Phainom village of Kangpokpi district in the video. One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-army man who had served in the Indian Army as a Subedar of the Assam Regiment and even fought in the Kargil War. It may be recalled, that the complaint in connection with the viral video was lodged around a month ago June 21 at
Several Naga civil society organisations in Manipur, including the powerful United Naga Council, All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and Naga People's Front, have strongly condemned the inhuman act committed against the two women by a mob on May 4. The UNC asked the Manipur government to take up the case in a fast-track court to deliver justice instantly. The government must initiate necessary steps for immediate booking of all the people involved in such dehumanizing crime, the UNC said in a statement. Referring to the viral video clip, the UNC said the incident was extremely deplorable. The inhuman act meted out to the women who were stripped naked, groped and paraded in a broad daylight on the highway towards a paddy field is highly deplorable, the UNC said. The UNC said the beastly act of sexually assaulting right on the nose of the law enforcing agency and unleashing a reign of terror has shattered the basic principles of democracy. The prestige and dignity of our
A gendered perspective on conflict - local or international - is essential because women are often targeted as part of conflict strategy
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said the only way forward in Manipur is to sack Chief Minister N Biren Singh and impose President's rule in the state. More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. In a tweet, Sibal said, "The only way forward: Sack Biren Singh; Impose Art. 356; Apologise to the women of our country." "Nothing has changed since Nirbhaya: Unnao, Hatharas, Kathua, Bilkis (convicts release). Beti bachao PM ji!" Sibal said. According to Article 356, President's rule can be imposed in a state if a situation has arisen in which the government of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Tension further mounted in Manipur on Wednesday after a May 4 video surfaced online showing two women from
If the Congress made errors, the BJP should've given Manipur real change. Biren Singh's statements in the weeks leading up to the flare-up show the BJP persisted with the same policy of divisiveness
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the government was ready to discuss violence in the state
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The Mizoram State Commission for Women (MSCW) on Friday termed the Manipur incident as unforgivable. It wrote to the National Commission for Women and its Manipur counterpart urging them to take immediate action against the perpetrators of the gruesome crime, MSCW chairperson Lallawmchhungi said. "The commission is deeply concerned about the video in which two disrobed women are being forced to walk with hundreds of men behind them in Manipur. The act is unforgivable," she told reporters in Aizawl. "We appeal to people to immediately stop any form of violence against women," she said. The commission requested the menfolk of the Northeastern state not to use muscle power on women. Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked and constantly groped and molested by a mob. Manipur police said that four prime accused have been arrested till now in connection with the viral vid
Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Friday washed out for the second day in a row amid uproar by the opposition over the Manipur situation and other issues. The house, which was adjourned in the morning session over the Manipur issue and the Opposition raising objections to the Chair expunging certain words from the record, witnessed uproarious scenes when it reassembled post-lunch. Soon after reassembling at 2:30 pm, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar informed the members about the report of the business advisory committee (BAC) after its meeting held on Thursday and said it should be taken into account. This led to uproar in the house with several opposition members raising objections over the listing of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill along with the Forest Conservation Bill, saying they had already expressed their views against the proposed legislations during the BAC meeting. Amid the uproar and with most opposition members on their feet, the Chairman adjourned the
Continuing her tirade against the Centre over the Manipur crisis, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the BJP's 'Beti Bachao' scheme has now turned into 'Beti Jalao' (Burn our daughters). The TMC boss wondered why the Centre never bothered to send central teams to Manipur, where ethnic strife has claimed over 160 lives so far. We want to express our solidarity with Manipur. The BJP had sent so many central teams to Bengal (after the panchayat polls), why no central team was sent to the northeastern state? she questioned. Addressing the party's annual Martyrs' Day rally here, Banerjee expressed her solidarity with the newly formed opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A and asserted that their mission is to remove the saffron camp from power. She warned that the return of the BJP government would signal the demise of democracy. The TMC boss gave a clarion call to oust the BJP and refuted claims of personal ambitions by saying, We have no other demand, neither we want an
Social media platforms have been asked to take down the video as it could further disrupt the law and order situation in the state
Manipur must come out of the present crisis and all must make efforts to restore peace in the state, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Friday. The incident of women being disrobed and paraded is a serious and sensitive issue. The state is passing through a difficult phase and all communities are suffering there, the minister said on the sidelines of a programme. Manipur is a beautiful state and it has to come out of the crisis and honestly, all of us will have to make efforts to bring back peace to the state, she said. This kind of incident hurts each one of us and there is no word with which we can explain or address the issue, she said. The perpetrators will have to be caught and some arrests have already been made yesterday, the minister said. I am sure all efforts will be made to punish the perpetrators, she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said before the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Thursday on how
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday amid relentless protests by opposition members over the Manipur violence even as Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the House Rajnath Singh asserted that the government was ready for a discussion on the issue. When the House assembled again at 12 noon following an earlier adjournment, opposition members trooped to the well raising slogans demanding a reply from the prime minister. They also raised slogans demanding the presence of the prime minister in Lok Sabha. As Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, asked members to return to their seats, the sloganeering continued. Members also displayed placards as part of their protest. This is an important and sensitive issue. This should be discussed in the House, Agrawal said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said that the government is ready for a discussion. The entire country is concerned about Manipur situation we are equally concerned, Joshi said. As the pr
Senior Congress leader and former Union home minister P Chidambaram on Friday said a "spell of President's rule is desirable" in Manipur and asserted that there must be a neutral administration for enabling Meiteis and Kukis to stop the violence and talk to each other. More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Chidambaram said that in Manipur, the Meiteis, the Kukis and the Nagas have to live together under whatever legal arrangements are accepted by all. "Each ethnic group has grievances against another group. Irrespective of who is right or wrong, eventually the three groups must talk to each order and arrive at a social and political compact," he said on Twitter. All sections must stop blame game and resolve to stop the violence, Chidambaram said
The government is ready to hold a discussion on incidents in Manipur but the opposition is not serious about it, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday in Lok Sabha which witnessed protests over the matter leading to adjournment of proceedings till 12 noon. As soon as the House met, the members of the opposition parties were on their feet. The members, including those from the Congress, DMK and Left, raised slogans and told Speaker Om Birla that Manipur is bleeding. The speaker told opposition members that sloganeering will not bring any solution to the problem but only dialogues and discussions can. This is not good. Solution can be found only through discussions, he said. As the opposition did not heed to his requests, Birla asked the Defence Minister to speak. Singh said the government is ready for a discussion on Manipur incidents. We are ready for a discussion... But I can see that the opposition is unnecessarily creating problems. The opposition is not serious for a
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday demanded that the prime minister make an elaborate statement in Parliament on the Manipur situation, saying he could have dismissed the state chief minister instead of making "false equivalence" with Congress governed states if he was angry over the matter. The Congress has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must make a statement in both houses of Parliament followed by a discussion on the situation in Manipur. Opposition parties have stepped up their attack on the government over the Manipur violence, especially after the video of two women being paraded naked and assaulted by a crowd in a Manipur village, went viral on social media. "Narendramodi ji, You did not make a statement inside Parliament, yesterday. If you were angry then instead of making false equivalence with Congress governed states, you could have first dismissed your Chief Minister Manipur," Kharge said on Twitter. "INDIA expects you to make an elaborate ...
Even though the government was ready for a discussion on Manipur, the opposition disrupted Parliament proceedings and did now allow the debate to take place, the BJP charged on Thursday as it questioned the timing of the surfacing of a May 4 video of two women being paraded naked in the northeastern state. The BJP said that a discussion on the situation in Manipur would have sent out a "meaningful and positive" message to the people of the violence-hit state but the opposition parties did not let it happen because they felt that incidents of "misbehavior" with women in Congress-ruled states as well as the violence during the West Bengal panchayat elections may also come up. The BJP's charge came after both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day on the first day of Monsoon session amid slogan shouting and demands for a discussion on the situation in strife-torn Manipur. Even outside Parliament, opposition parties, including the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party and the ...
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A day after a video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur surfaced online, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the issue is not that it's a shame for the country but the immense pain and trauma inflicted on the women of the state. Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced online on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities in Manipur's Kangpokpi district being paraded naked by a mob from the other side. Before the start of the Monsoon session of Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the incident has shamed 140 crore Indians, asserting that law will act with its full might and no guilty will be spared. In a tweet, Gandhi said, "Prime Minister, the issue is not that it's a shame for the country. The issue is the immense pain and trauma inflicted on the women of Manipur. Stop the violence immediately." Taking suo moto cognisance of the video, the Manipur Police had on Wednesday night registe
The grinding violence that has roiled Manipur for more than two months burst onto the national centrestage on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CJI D Y Chandrachud expressed deep anguish over a graphic video of two disrobed women being brutalised by a mob, calling the incident "shameful" and "unacceptable". The incident in a village in Kangpokpi district that was captured in the 26-second video and stoked a nationwide outrage took place a day after ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 but the horrific footage surfaced only on Wednesday and became viral after the internet ban was lifted. Hours after Prime Minister Modi in his first public comments on the Manipur violence vowed that no guilty will be spared and law will act with its "full might and firmness", Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the police have arrested two men. CJI Chandrachud also warned that the apex court will take action if nothing is happening on the ground. Taking suo motu