The CBI issued a chargesheet against six individuals and a juvenile regarding an incident in May, where two tribal women were paraded naked in Manipur's Kangpokpi district. This incident gained national attention when a video of it went viral two months later, sparking widespread outrage.
The agency on Monday filed the charge sheet against six people and a report against one juvenile in conflict with the law before a special CBI court in Guwahati, nearly three months after Manipur Police made arrests in the case.
It was alleged that on May 4, 2023, a mob of approximately 900–1,000 individuals, armed with sophisticated weapons, had entered B Phainom village in Kangpokpi district of Manipur. They vandalized and set houses ablaze, looted properties, assaulted villagers, committed murders, and sexually assaulted women.
The emergence of a video in July this year, depicting the women being paraded naked, resulted in widespread condemnation both within the country and internationally. This prompted the Supreme Court to intervene and transfer the case to the CBI.
Additionally, it was alleged that two family members of one of the women paraded naked lost their lives during the incident.
The CBI's investigation suggested that those arrested by Manipur Police were indeed involved in the incident, leading to the filing of the charge sheet on Monday against Huirum Herodas and others.
The ongoing investigation is focused on various aspects of the case, including the identification of other individuals accused of these offences.
The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those pertaining to gang rape, murder, outraging the modesty of a woman, and criminal conspiracy, the CBI said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reacted to the video by saying that the incident of the two women being paraded naked had shamed 140 crore Indians and asserted that the law would act with its full might, and no guilty will be spared.
"Today, when I am standing by this temple of democracy, my heart is full of pain and anger," he told reporters at the Parliament complex, amid his criticism by opposition parties for not speaking on the ethnic violence in the BJP-ruled state.
"I want to assure the people of the country that no guilty will be spared. The law will act with its full might and firmness... What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven," he said.
The video was emblematic of the divide between the majority Meitei community and the Kuki tribal group, as political leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident, which also rocked Parliament's Monsoon session. The video surfaced on the eve of the Monsoon session of the Parliament.
The anguish over the incident found an echo in the Supreme Court, where a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud took cognizance of the video and asked the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate action.
"We are very deeply disturbed by the videos which have emerged yesterday about the way those two women were paraded in Manipur," the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra, had said.
"I think it is time that the government really steps in and takes action because this is simply unacceptable," the CJI said, adding, "We will give a little time to the government to act, otherwise we will take action if nothing is happening on the ground."
He also termed the incident the "grossest" constitutional and human rights violation, adding that the court is conscious of the fact that the video is of May 4, but that makes no difference.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills.
