Manipur police makes fifth arrest in connection with parading of two women

Manipur Police has arrested a fifth person, aged around 19, in connection with the May 4 parading of two tribal women in Kangpokpi district of the state, officials said on Saturday.

The two women are alleged to have been sexually assaulted before being set free by a mob. A 26-second video of the incident surfaced on Wednesday. On Thursday, a man who was part of the mob that paraded the women at B. Phainom village and was seen dragging one of them was among four people who were arrested as the incident drew widespread condemnation.

These four people were remanded to 11-day police custody on Friday, police said. One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-Army man, who served as a subedar in the Assam Regiment and had even fought in the Kargil War.

A complaint in connection with the video was lodged around a month ago  June 21  at the Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district. FIR also claimed that one person was killed by the mob as he tried to protect his sister from being raped on May 4 before the two were paraded naked and molested in front of others.

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.