One more person has been arrested in connection with the stripping and parading of two women in Manipur, a video of which has attracted nationwide condemnation, police said on Tuesday.
The fresh arrest on Monday evening from Thoubal district took the total number of apprehensions in the case to seven, they said. Police had earlier identified 14 people from the video among those who had participated in the disrobing of the two tribal women on May 4.
The two women are alleged to have been sexually assaulted before being set free by a mob. A 26-second video of the incident had surfaced on July 19. One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-Armyman, who served as a subedar in the Assam Regiment and had even fought in the Kargil War.
A complaint in connection with the video was lodged around a month ago June 21 at Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district.
More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
FIR registered
The Manipur Police on Monday registered an FIR in connection with a fake news item in which a video, showing the killing of a woman by armed men in Myanmar, is being described as an incident that happened in the state. The clip was being circulated to incite rioting and efforts are on to arrest those who are spreading the fake news, the police tweeted.
"FIR registered for spreading fake news: On 24/07/2023, Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Manipur registered a case in connection with the viral video of a woman being assaulted and killed by a mob including armed men (which happened in Myanmar), which has been falsely depicted as a case of Manipur."
"Attempt is made to identify and arrest the accused persons for spreading false news with intent to disturb public tranquillity, incite riot, and create serious breach of law and order in the state," the police said in a Twitter post.
