Violence in India's northeast draws closer government scrutiny
India’s main crime investigation agency has taken over a probe sparked by a viral video, in which two women were paraded naked by a mob, and one was gang-raped, in the state of Manipur. The incident, which occurred on May 4 but drew public attention only on July 20, when the video emerged on the social media, caused a wave of anger throughout society and sparked a fierce political debate.
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the case would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after consultations with the Manipur government. The probe was officially passed to the CBI on Friday.
The affidavit was filed before the court by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, who noted that at least seven suspects have been arrested and are now in police custody, facing charges including rape and murder.
The government has maintained that it has “zero tolerance” towards crimes against women, especially such grave offences as those committed against women from the Kuki minority in Manipur, echoing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the video made on July 20. It was his first statement related to Manipur after almost three months of inter-ethnic violence raging in the state. The affidavit also requested that the top court order the completion of the trial within six months.
The Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud and justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj Misra was slated to hear the government’s plea on Friday, but CJI Chandrachud was unavailable due to illness. The case is expected to be taken up on Monday.
The CBI’s takeover of the probe coincided with mounting pressure from the opposition, which last week filed a motion of no confidence against the Modi-led government. On Saturday, a delegation of 21 members of parliament representing the recently formed opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), landed in Manipur to assess the situation in the state following a wave of inter-ethnic strife.
On Sunday, opposition MPs submitted a memorandum to the Manipur governor, stating that the silence of the prime minister showed “his brazen indifference” to the violence in Manipur. “The failure of both the central and state governments to protect the lives and properties of the people of the two communities is apparent from the figures of more than 140 deaths, more than 500 injuries, burning of more than 5,000 houses and internal displacement of more than 60,000 people,” the document read.
In what could be seen as Modi’s administration making another attempt to address the situation, last week the chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma, made a low-profile visit to Manipur. She met the victims of the violence, including the women seen in the viral video. Responding to criticism over the delayed reaction of the body to crimes committed against women in the state, Sharma attributed the delay to the lack of a response from local authorities, until they were contacted by the Commission.
Tensions have been flaring in Manipur since the beginning of May, when clashes between two ethnic communities – the majority Meitei and the minority Kuki tribes – broke out in the Churachandpur district, about 65 km from Manipur’s capital, Imphal. The violence erupted after Kukis opposed Meitei’s demand to be granted Scheduled Tribes status, which would allow them to have reservations in government jobs, educational institutions and avail other socio-economic benefits granted by India's constitution.
