Manipur: Meitei woman file complaint of alleged gangrape by 'Kuki miscreants,' survivor taking shelter in relief camp

Another case of alleged gang rape has come into the fore in conflict-hit Manipur.

A 37-year-old married woman belonging to Meitei community lodged a Zero FIR with police in Bishnupur district on Wednesday alleging that she was gangraped by unidentified "Kuki miscreants" in Churachandpur district on May 3. The woman said she was gangraped when she was fleeing her home in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district when violence first broke out. The woman is now taking shelter in a relief camp in Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district, sources said.

Based on her FIR, police registered a case but transferred it to women police station in Churachandpur for investigation as the alleged crime took place there. A Zero FIR can be lodged in any police station but is normally forwarded to the police station having jurisdiction of the place where the crime took place.

Gangrape, assault or criminal force on women with intent to outrage her modesty and criminal conspiracy with common intention were mentioned in the section of “brief description of offence” of the FIR.

The FIR said the crime is punishable under sections 376D (gang-rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC.

Thousands of Meiteis fled the Kuki dominated hill districts like Churachandpur and Kangpokpi and took shelter in relief camps in the Meitei-dominated Valley districts like Imphal, Bishnupur and Thoubal. Similarly, Kukis living in the valley also fled to the Hills for safety. The security forces created a buffer zone dividing the valley and hills and deployed forces in order to prevent further escalation of the situation.

Nearly 160 people have been killed and more than 60,000 others have been displaced due to the violence between sections of Meitei and Kuki communities since May 3. Situation has still remained a concern despite deployment of over 40,000 forces.

But incidents of alleged gang rape by rioters have come as a shock. A video showing two Kuki women being paraded naked and sexually harassed allegedly by Meitei men went viral on July 20. The video outraged the nation and led the Centre to hand over the case to the CBI.