New Delhi/Guwahati
A total of four people have been arrested in the case of women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob on May 4. “Four main accused arrested in the Viral Video Case : 03 (three) more main accused of the heinous crime of abduction and gangrape under Nongpok Sekmai PS, Thoubal District have been arrested today. So total 04 (four) persons have been arrested till now”, the Manipur Police tweeted.
The first arrest was that of a 32-year-old man, identified as Huirem Heradas Singh, clad in a green T-shirt and seen dragging one of the women in the video.
Earlier, breaking his prolonged silence for the first time on the happenings in troubled Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the incident of women being paraded naked in the State has shamed 140 crore Indians and asserted that law will act with its full might and no guilty will be spared.
“I want to assure the nation, no guilty will be spared. Action will be taken according to the law. What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” the Prime Minister told reporters in his remarks before the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
“As I stand next to this temple of democracy, my heart is filled with pain and anger. The Manipur incident is shameful for any civilised nation. The entire country has been shamed,” he said, amid widespread criticism over his silence even as the ethnic violence continues unabated for more than two and a half months now with over 150 people having been killed and thousands displaced.
While condemning the Manipur horror, Modi also referred to incidents in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
“I appeal to all Chief Ministers to strengthen law and order in their state, especially regarding our mothers and sisters, and take strictest action, be it in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Manipur. In every corner of India, we should rise above politics and act against heinous crimes,” he said.
The footage of the May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women being paraded naked by a large mob. The police have registered a case of gangrape, abduction and murder. The FIR lodged in connection with the incident bears such rave details that they would put the humanity to shame. The video is likely to worsen the law and order situation further in the State.
Condemning the “inhumane, shameful” act, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said the main culprit in the incident has been arrested and that capital punishment will be considered for the guilty. Demands for the Chief Minister’s removal have only grown louder now. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Singh on the incident.
The Supreme Court said it is “deeply disturbed” by the video and termed it “simply unacceptable”. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed the Centre and the State government to take immediate steps and apprise the apex court on what action has been taken. “We will give a little time to the Government to act otherwise we will take action if nothing is happening on the ground,” the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra, said.
The Government has asked Twitter and other social media platforms to take down the inflammatory video since the matter is being probed.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has said that she has spoken to the Manipur Chief Minister, she termed the incident “condemnable and downright inhuman”.
“The horrific video of sexual assault of two women emanating from Manipur is condemnable and downright inhuman. Spoke to CM N Biren Singh ji who has informed me that investigation is currently underway and assured that no effort will be spared to bring perpetrators to justice,” she tweeted.
The video did the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight.
The Congress slammed the Centre after the video surfaced, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the Modi government of turning democracy into “mobocracy”. He said that “humanity has died in Manipur” and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak about the ethnic violence-hit state in Parliament and tell the nation what happened.
The Congress has asserted that the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Manipur crisis during the session is “non-negotiable”. On day one of the Monsoon Session, several Opposition MPs called for a discussion on Manipur situation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said there will be a discussion and the Government will reply. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “Yesterday in the all-party meeting, it was said that govt is ready to discuss the Manipur situation. The Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman will decide the date for discussion.”
The Manipur violence rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon session on Thursday, with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha failed to transact any business as opposition members created uproar over the situation in Manipur despite the government’s assurance that it was ready to discuss the issue in both Houses.
