In what appeared to be an attempt to defend the delay in the arrest of those who paraded two Kuki women naked, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said the video of the incident surfaced when the government was trying to identify the case.
"As there were many cases filed on different incidents that happened in the state and while the government was trying to identify the particular case, the video on the incident suddenly came to the surface," Singh told reporters at Imphal while announcing the arrest of "one of the main accused" of the incident.
The Manipur Police on Thursday said four main accused have been arrested so far.
Singh said an FIR was filed on May 18 at Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district, and on June 21 the case was transferred to Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district. Singh, however, did not clarify why the case was transferred after more than one month.
Singh's statement came amid questions about why Manipur Police waited for over 70 days to act on the FIR lodged by chief of the B Phainom village on May 4.
On Wednesday evening, Manipur Police claimed that efforts were underway to arrest the accused, hours after the video showing the two women being paraded naked by a mob went viral on social media. The video showed many men physically torturing and molesting the women as they were being dragged towards a paddy field. The women were seen crying for help.
Reacting to the outrage over the video, the co-ordination committee on Manipur Integrity, an organisation of the Meiteis said, "The action was committed by a few sick criminal perpetrators. The entire Meetei society is in deep shame and anguish over the video clip which is being shown on various television channels."
Suhas Chakma, a human rights activist and director of Rights and Risk Analysis Group, New Delhi told DH that the incident crossed all limits of barbarity and constitutes crimes against humanity. "Yet, the Manipur government and the Centre remained silent and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not have spoken had the government not been informed this morning that the Supreme Court had summoned Attorney General and Solicitor General for taking cognisance."
The clashes between sections of majority Meitei and Kuki tribe started on May 3 in the Churachandpur district, soon after a "solidarity march" was organised by tribal groups opposing the move to accord ST status to the Meiteis. Over 140 people have been killed and over 60,000 others have been left displaced due to the violence since then.