Huirem Herodas Meitei, the prime accused in the incident in Manipur where two women were paraded naked and one of them was reportedly gang-raped, was arrested on 20 July. Hours after his arrest, a group of women in his village reportedly set fire to his home. His family was also ostracized by the locals from the village.
The 32-year-old native of Pechi Awang Leikai village is the main accused among the four individuals apprehended for parading naked and sexually abusing two females of the Kuki-Zomi community on 4 May in Thoubal district of Manipur. The incident caused a nationwide outrage after a video of the incident appeared on social media recently. Huirem Herodas Meitei was seen wearing a green t-shirt in the footage. The identities of the other three are yet to be disclosed.
Following a brief conversation among themselves, the females of Petchi village gathered after learning of the offender’s arrest and marched to his residence. Afterwards, the mob vandalised the place before setting it on fire.
A video of the incident shows a group of women vandalising the Kutcha house by beating the roof and walls with sticks. They then burned some hay and threw it inside the house, causing the house to catch fire. The group of women continued to break the mud-plastered bamboo walls.
A Meira Paibi leader said, “Be it Meitei or other communities, as a woman, outraging a woman’s dignity is not acceptable. We cannot allow such a person to be in our society. It’s a shame to the entire Meitei community.” Meira Paibis, often known as “women torchbearers,” is a senior women-led activist organisation without a strict hierarchy, organisational structure, or overt political leanings. The Meira Paibis, also known as Imas or Mothers of Manipur, are Meitei women who come from all sections of society in the Imphal Valley.
While the incident occurred more than two months ago, it received widespread attention because a brief video of it went viral this week on social media and sparked indignation.
After taking suo motu notice of the video, authorities informed that a case of kidnapping, gang rape, and murder against unidentified armed individuals was filed at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal. They further added that every effort was being made to capture the culprits as soon as possible.
He was captured in the Thoubal region during the overnight searches, which were overseen by senior IPS (Indian Police Service) officers. A manhunt has been commenced in pursuit of the remaining culprits.
According to Chief Minister N Biren Singh, difficulties with the identification of the perpetrators caused the police action to be delayed. “There were over 6,000 FIRs even as the violence continued. Police were trying to identify the case when the video surfaced. As soon as we got hold of the video, we could identify the culprits and action was taken immediately and we arrested two persons, including the main culprit.”
He also conveyed his profound shock over the occurrence and posted, “A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society.”
My hearts go out to the two women who were subjected to a deeply disrespectful and inhumane act, as shown in the distressing video that surfaced yesterday. After taking a Suo-moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action…
— N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) July 20, 2023
The video, which surfaced on Wednesday, was recorded in the Kangpokpi area, one day following the outbreak of violence on 3 May in the state. The footage showed two ladies being paraded naked by a group of guys while they continued to assault them sexually. One of the victims, who is the wife of an Army subedar and a Kargil war veteran narrated her horrific ordeal in an interview.
An incident report was made at a police station in the neighbouring Kangpokpi district after the occurrence in Thoubal’s Meitei-dominated valley neighbourhood, and a zero First Information Report was registered after which the case was forwarded to the concerned Thoubal police station.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his grief and assured the nation that the criminals responsible for the dreadful incident and the violence in Manipur will not be spared.
He announced, “I want to assure the countrymen that no criminal will be spared. The law will take full force, one step after another, with all its might. What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.” Additionally, he made an appeal to all of the Chief Ministers of Indian states, urging them to improve law and order enforcement and take decisive action to protect women.
The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state has already resulted in more than 100 fatalities and thousands of displaced residents.
The first clashes occurred on 3 May following a “Tribal Solidarity March” organised by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) in the hill areas to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Tensions rose in April as a result of a Manipur High Court decision ordering the state administration to make a decision regarding the Scheduled Tribe status issue.
