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Imphal: Police have arrested a fifth accused in connection with a video that surfaced on July 19, showing two women being paraded naked by a mob in conflict-torn Manipur. Police said that the accused has been identified as a 19-year-old youth. The four, who were earlier held for allegedly stripping and parading two women in Manipur on May 4, were on Friday sent to 11-day police custody, police said.
The arrests were made on Thursday, a day after the 26-second video surfaced on 19 July. Hours after the police arrested the main accused in the case, his house was torched on Thursday. According to the police, he was prominently seen in the video directing the crowd at B.Phenom village in Kangpokpi district.
One of the women in the video is the wife of an ex-serviceman who served in the Indian Army as a Subedar of the Assam Regiment and also fought in the Kargil War. It may be recalled that the complaint regarding the viral video was lodged about a month ago – June 21 – at Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district.
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The FIR registered in the matter, a copy of which has been accessed by PTI, reveals the devastation that preceded the abduction and the shameful treatment of the tribal women, a video of which has now become the basis for raids and arrests of those linked to the incident. The FIR claimed that a man was lynched by a mob as he tried to save his sister from rape on May 4, before both were paraded naked and molested in front of others.
Over 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured, since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a ‘tribal solidarity march’ was held in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The Meitei people account for about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while the tribals, including the Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 percent and live mostly in the hill districts.
