The CBI will investigate the case of sexual assault on two women who were paraded naked by a mob in Manipur in May, officials said on Thursday. The government is also planning to seek the shift of trial of the case to Assam.
Officials said the person who filmed the incident has been arrested and his mobile phone seized. The recovery of the phone will help investigators in establishing the sequence of events.
It will also help in establishing how the visuals were leaked, officials said, adding it is likely to approach the Supreme Court on Friday seeking to hold the trial outside Manipur.
The video of the incident, which took place on May 4, surfaced on social media recently, leading to an uproar over the incident. The issue rocked Parliament too with the Opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ethnic violence in Manipur followed by an immediate discussion.
Officials said the probe into five serious cases involving the Manipur clashes has been handed over to the CBI.
Around 150 people have died during the ethnic violence, which started on May 3. The government is in touch with Meitei and Kuki groups and talks are in an advanced stage to restore normalcy in the state, officials added.