Manipur Viral Video Case: Police Cracks Down, Suspends Station In-Charge and Four Others Where Incident Took Place

Officials have announced that Manipur Police has suspended five police personnel in the area where the incident of two women being stripped and paraded by a mob occurred on 4 May.

Following the emergence of a video on 19 July, depicting the incident, Manipur Police promptly decided to suspend the station in-charge of Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district, along with four other police personnel.

Despite daily protests from some sections of the majority community, the action taken has not been reversed and remains in effect.

An inquiry has been ordered by the state police, led by an Inspector General of Police, to investigate the events that led to the looting of an armoury on 3 August in Bishnupur.

Officials familiar with the situation have stated that the Manipur Police is making every effort to put an end to the ongoing violence in the state.

To ensure sufficient supplies, various agencies, including the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, have collaborated.

One of the officials state that, “This is the season of farming and we can’t wait for complete peace to return. So we have to manage it and that means an additional diversion of police force to the foothills where farming is done for the famous black rice.”

According to reports, a crowd had gathered on 3 August with the intention to march towards Churachandpur, where the tribal community had planned a mass burial for their people who were victims of ethnic clashes in the state on 3 May.

On 15 July, a Naga Maring lady was brutally killed, leading to the arrest of nine individuals, including five Meira Paibis (women torch bearers).

Currently in Manipur, a day without any incidents of violence is being seen as abnormal, and there is still a long way to go before things can return to normalcy.

There has been significant loss of life and numerous injured people in Manipur, due to the ongoing ethnic clashes.

These clashes initially began on 3 May after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status, which resulted in violence between the majority Meitei and tribal Kuki communities.