Manipur Viral Video Case: 7th Accused Arrested in Midnight Operation

Police have arrested a seventh accused in connection with the disturbing video that emerged from Manipur, showing two women being paraded naked by a mob. The arrest took place in Thoubal district on Monday.

The video depicting the harrowing scene has sparked widespread condemnation from various quarters. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) in Manipur has accused the mob of gang-raping the two women in a field. The alleged incident reportedly occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, situated 35 kilometers away from the state capital, Imphal. However, the police maintain that the incident actually happened in a different district, despite the First Information Report (FIR) being filed in Kangpokpi.

The police made the first arrest on July 20, the day after the 26-second video surfaced online. Subsequently, three more arrests were made on the same day. The fifth suspect was apprehended on Saturday and is a 19-year-old, while the sixth person taken into custody is a minor, according to the police.

The horrifying incident unfolded following the outbreak of violence between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in Manipur, triggered by the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status. The violence in the northeastern state has resulted in over 120 fatalities and has displaced thousands of people.

The ongoing conflict in Manipur has also impacted the proceedings of the monsoon session in parliament. A group of opposition MPs is staging a sit-in protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Parliament House, demanding an unrestricted debate on the ethnic clashes in the state. Opposition leaders have been urging for a comprehensive and open discussion on the Manipur issue without any time constraints, since the beginning of the monsoon session on Thursday.