A seventh accused in connection with the horrific video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur, was arrested by police on Monday night from Thoubal district. Earlier, police arrested six accused including one juvenile in the case.
More than 70 days after the incident, Manipur police made the first arrest on Thursday, July 20, a day after the 26-second video of the incident surfaced online, drawing widespread condemnation. Three more arrests were made later that day. A fifth accused who was arrested on Saturday is a 19-year-old while the sixth person taken into custody is a minor, the police said.
Case for spreading fake news
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The Manipur Police also registered an FIR on Monday in connection with a "fake news" item in which a video, showing the killing of a woman by armed men in Myanmar, is being described as an incident that happened in the state on May 4. The clip was being circulated to incite rioting and efforts are on to arrest those who are spreading the fake news, the police tweeted.
"FIR registered for spreading fake news: On 24/07/2023, Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Manipur registered a case in connection with the viral video of a woman being assaulted and killed by a mob including armed men (which happened in Myanmar), which has been falsely depicted as a case of Manipur. Attempt is made to identify and arrest the accused persons for spreading false news with intent to disturb public tranquillity, incite riot, and create serious breach of law and order in the state," the police said in a Twitter post.
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The shocking video that surfaced of the May 4 incident, was reportedly triggered by a piece of fake news. According to a report in The Print, the sexual violence shown in the video took place after fake news about a Meitei woman's rape and murder was circulated just after the violence began. The fake news that was circulated included a picture of a woman's dead body wrapped in plastic claiming that it shows the body of a woman from the Meitei community who was sexually assaulted and killed by people from the Kuki tribe in the ongoing Manipur violence.
According to a report by The Hindu, the police have identified 12 to 14 people who can be seen in the viral video. Over 13,000 people have been detained and nearly 290 bunkers have been destoryed over the past fortnight, the report added. “People are being stopped and asked to explain their movement or presence in a particular area. This is to prevent them from inciting violence by moving in large groups. Those who cannot explain are bound down to be detained for the day,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.
The arrests come at a time when both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any business during the Monsoon Session due to the stalemate between the opposition and the government over the Manipur issue.
