Manipur Video News LIVE: CM Biren Singh to Visit Constituencies to Protest Against Heinous Crime

One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-army man who served in the Indian Army as a Subedar of the Assam Regiment and fought in the Kargil War, according to PTI. According to the FIR filed in this case, a man 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. The video of these incidents formed the basis for raids and arrests of people connected with the incident.

Angry locals vandalised and torched the house of a suspect, allegedly part of a mob that disrobed and paraded two women in Manipur on May 4, in Wangjing, Thoubal district on Friday afternoon, as per the police. The said suspect is still on the run and possibly fled home upon learning that the police were searching for him, according to an official. The house of the key accused in the case was torched on Thursday, hours after he was arrested by police.

Manipur Police announced that all four accused, who were arrested in connection with a viral video showing two women being paraded naked in the violence-hit state, have been remanded to 11-day police custody.

The Mizoram State Commission for Women (MSCW) chairperson Lallawmchhungi termed the Manipur incident as unforgivable. “The commission is deeply concerned about the video in which two disrobed women are being forced to walk with hundreds of men behind them in Manipur. The act is unforgivable,” she said. “We appeal to people to immediately stop any form of violence against women,” she added.

BJP MP Gautam Gambhir termed the incident of two women being paraded naked in Manipur “extremely shameful”. “It is extremely shameful. I feel ashamed to call myself an Indian because the issue is not only limited to Manipur. It has lowered the head of the entire country, so it should not be politicised,” Gambhir said.

Amid allegations by the BJP claiming the Opposition is “running away” from discussions on the Manipur crisis in the parliament, party members have said they want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue in the legislature. “We would want the Prime Minister of India to speak inside the Parliament and have a free and fair discussion on Manipur,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said “Opposition wants an immediate discussion on Manipur situation in the Parliament. We are not running away from it.”

Delhi Commission for Women chief, Swati Maliwal, announced that she will be visiting Manipur to assess the situation in the state after incidents of sexual violence against women and girls emerged. In a letter addressed to the DGP Manipur, she asked for assistance in facilitating meetings with the survivors of the sexual assaults on video. Additionally, she requested a visit to the relief camps housing women and girls at Lamka (Churachandpur), copies of all FIRs regarding sexual violence against women and girls in the last three months, including their current legal status, and all complaints against police officials by women in the state received in the last four months.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cornered the BJP-led government over the Manipur crisis and asked why the Centre has not sent central teams to violence-hit state, where ethnic strife has claimed over 160 lives so far. “We want to express our solidarity with Manipur. The BJP had sent so many central teams to Bengal (after the panchayat polls), why no central team was sent to the northeastern state?” she said at TMC’s annual Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata.

“People are protesting across the state regarding the incident and demanding the strictest punishment for the accused. Accused number one, who was arrested earlier, his house was burnt by women yesterday. Manipur society is against crime against women. They consider women as their mothers. This protest is to support the government to punish the accused,” said Manipur CM N Biren Singh on Friday.

Women in Imphal burned down the house of the one of the accused in the Manipur video case on July 20. Four arrests have been made in the case so far.

A tribal body of Manipuris has claimed that they wrote to the National Commission of Women (NCW) on June 12 about the brutalisation of Kuki women, a video of which surfaced on the internet and sparked a massive outcry this week, but received no response. READ MORE

When asked about calls for his resignation over the law and order situation in Manipur, CM N Biren Singh said, “I don’t want to go into this. My job is to bring peace to the state. Miscreants are there in every society but we will not spare them.”

“We will visit the constituencies to hold the protest against the heinous crime. Stringent punishment will be given to the accused,” said Manipur CM N Biren Singh said on Friday.

“We are in touch with the officers from Manipur. Not one specific but there were many complaints and that too from people outside India and outside Manipur. Firstly, it had to be clarified whether whatever was written is true. Manipur government has to clarify and if it is true then they have to work on it. So, accordingly, we wrote to them,” Rekha Sharma said on Friday.

“It is a serious issue that Manipur violence is being discussed at international forums but not in our Parliament. Why don’t you talk about Manipur’s law and order?” said Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut on Friday.

On the other hand, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government wants to discuss the matter but the opposition is not serious about the issue.

Singh’s statements come after both houses of Parliament were adjourned till July 24 amid ruckus over the Manipur issue.

“Yesterday, before the commencement of the parliament session, PM Narendra Modi gave a statement as to how the nation hangs its head in shame for what has happened in Manipur. It is a serious and sensitive issue that the state was going through, all communities were suffering. The perpetrators will have to be caught, some arrests have been made yesterday and I am sure no effort will be left unaddressed in getting these people arrested,” Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.

“I feel the opposition is not serious about the discussion on the Manipur issue. The government wants to discuss the Manipur issue. PM Modi himself said that the country is ashamed of whatever has happened in the state and assured strict action. Still, if the opposition does not want to discuss it only means that they are not serious,” said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

Singh’s statements come after both houses of Parliament were adjourned till July 24 amid ruckus over the Manipur issue.

BJP national spokesperson Amit Malviya on Friday rained down on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee over her ‘broken heart’ remark on the Manipur video and reminded her of the brutality endured by a woman Gram Sabha candidate during Panchayat Polls in July 2023.

“You, as Home Minister of West Bengal, were expected to uphold law and order, instead you chose to prevaricate. Trust me, the world is a better place without your broken heart, outrage and fake concern for justice,” Malviya said, asking Banerjee to “focus on West Bengal”.

“Parliamentary discussion will take place on this matter as the Manipur incident was a gruesome act that invokes contempt and shouldn’t be attempted against any woman. Prime Minister Modi has also spoken on this so, the proper things will be taken care of,” BJP MP Hema Malini said on Friday.

The house of the main accused in the Manipur viral video case in the Chekmai area was allegedly set on fire by local community members. Sources said that prima facie it looked like no family member of the suspect was present. A day ago, villagers also set the house of another arrested accused Huerim Heradas Singh on fire.