The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India has filed a formal charge sheet against six individuals and furnished a report denoting a ‘child in conflict with the law’, in relation to a shocking case of sexual violence out of Manipur. The case centers on a video of two tribal women being paraded naked, an incident that spurred widespread outrage after being widely disseminated across social media platforms last July. This lead the Supreme Court of India to initiate proceedings of its own accord, subsequently handing over the jurisdiction of the case to the CBI.
According to The Hindu, the perpetrators have been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, common intention, rioting with deadly weapons, outraging the modesty of women, and gang rape. These charges were issued in response to growing concerns surrounding gender violence and women’s rights. In addition, the charges also fall under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Chargeshseet was formally submitted at a special CBI Court in Guwahati, Assam.
Homicide is another resonating issue in this case, as the mob responsible for the mistreatment of the two tribal women is also suspected of killing several villagers, including family members of the victims. Reports reveal that the CBI is currently undertaking an investigation to identify additional suspects potentially involved in the crime.
The Agency kick-started the filing process after receiving a formal referral from the State government and an official notification from the Central government, leading to the initiation of the police report and registration of the case.
Manipur has been struggling to contain escalating ethnic tensions, particularly between the hill-dwelling Kuki tribal community and the mainstream, valley-dwelling Meiteis. In this case, the fingerprints of the tensions are undeniable: the filed charges emanate from allegations of a mob of around 900-1,000 individuals armed with advanced weapons descending on B. Phainom village in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur, where they reportedly committed acts of vandalism, arson, looting, assault, murder and sexual violence.