SC Takes Cognizance Of Another Woman Stripped, Paraded Naked By Mob In Manipur, Issues Notice To Govt

The Supreme Court of India on Friday issued a notice to the Manipur government, requesting a response concerning a distressing incident where a woman alleged that she was subjected to public humiliation, stripped naked, and paraded by a mob, while the police failed to intervene.

The apex court, led by a bench including Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, directed the notice to the Biren Singh-led Manipur government. The matter is scheduled for a hearing on October 13, concurrently with the main case.

The filed petition, represented by advocate Amrita Sarkar, highlighted that women were also part of the mob that purportedly assaulted the survivor's one-year-old child. The petition further detailed that due to the violent encounter, the woman sustained fractures in her hand and severe injuries to her head.

The mob stripped Petitioner No. 2 and forced her to walk to the Deputy Commissioner's office in Imphal, where the police were present but did not help her, the plea highlighted.

The petition also accused the Manipur police of inaction in a separate case where two individuals, including a woman, were fatally beaten by a "mob of Meitei Community."

"Petitioner No.1's father filed an FIR on 20.05.2023 concerning this incident. However, to date, the Respondent (State of Manipur) has taken no action against these radicalized Meitei groups," the plea added.

Additionally, the petition highlighted that the petitioners, belonging to the Kuki community, endured brutal torture and witnessed the killing of their family members.

The plea conveyed that the two survivors eventually reached Delhi after enduring significant hardships, where they are presently receiving medical treatment and have been uprooted from their hometown.

Previously, the court expressed deep concern about the grave sexual violence that women suffered during ethnic violence in Manipur. To address this, the Supreme Court established a committee consisting of three female judges to investigate instances of violence against women in Manipur. Furthermore, the court appointed former Maharashtra DGP Dattatray Padsalgikar to assess the CBI's investigation into cases of sexual violence against women and children, as well as other pending FIRs registered by the Manipur Police.

The two tribal women, featured in a viral video, who were publicly paraded naked and allegedly subjected to gang rape in Manipur on May 3, 2023, approached the Supreme Court. They asserted that the Manipur Police collaborated with the mob, allowing the perpetration of sexual violence against them.