The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will refer Manipur viral video case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), news agency ANI reported. This development comes after the state police on Monday arrested the seventh accused in the case pertaining to women paraded naked and gang-raped. The seven persons include a juvenile who allegedly took part in the May 4 incident. The horrific case came to light after a 26-second video surfaced on social media on July 19 prompting a nationwide outrage.
According to ANI, the Centre will also file an affidavit in Supreme Court requesting the trial in the video case to take place outside Manipur.
It further reported government sources as saying that the mobile phone from which the video was shot has been recovered and the person who shot the video is arrested. The Union government held talks with members of Kuki and Meitei communities wherein six rounds of talks were held with each community, ANI cited "top government sources" as revealing.
"The law and order situation is relatively better in Manipur, however, not normal. Nearly 35,000 security personnel are on the ground; no shortage of medicine and daily supplies; prices of food and essential supplies are under control. A large number of government staff are returning to work and schools also resuming," the agency reported its sources as saying.
Earlier this week, Manipur Police informed that "Seven accused persons including one juvenile arrested/apprehended in the viral video case. As regard to the viral video of two women on 4th May, 2023, another accused was arrested today. Altogether, seven accused persons including one juvenile have been arrested/ apprehended in the case so far."
Police made the first arrest on July 20, three more arrests were made later that day. The fifth accused, 19-year-old youth, was arrested on July 22.
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.
Besides this, Union minister RK Ranjan Singh’s Imphal residence was attacked for the second time in two months as protestors during a women’s rally pelted stones demanding that he speak in Parliament about the situation in the ethnic strife-affected state. However, no one was present at the house during the time of the attack and not much harm was done to it, as per a report by PTI.
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Security personnel posted at the house in Kongba locality in Imphal town dispersed the protesters who also sought restoration of internet services.
Earlier on June 15, a mob had attacked the minister's residence and tried to set it ablaze after which the security guards and firefighters managed to control arson attempts and save the house.
As per news agency PTI's report, over 160 people have lost their lives and several have been injured in the ethnic violence that 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.
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