Manipur Viral Video Incident: Will You Resign? CM Biren Singh Says 'My Job Is...'

Manipur Viral Video Incident: CM Biren Singh has admitted that the attack and stripping of two tribal women by a mob in May has tarnished the state's reputation.

Imphal: Responding to growing calls for his resignation amid national outrage over the incident of alleged atrocities on women in his state, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday said that his main job is to bring peace to his state. Replying to calls for his resignation over the poor law and order situation in Manipur, the Chief Minister said, "I don't want to go into this. My job is to bring peace to the state. Miscreants are there in every society but we will not spare them."

#WATCH | When asked to respond on calls for his resignation over the law and order situation in Manipur, CM N Biren Singh says, "I don't want to go into this. My job is to bring peace to the state. Miscreants are there in every society but we will not spare them." pic.twitter.com/gD7ci42GIw

— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2023

Talking to news agency ANI, Biren Singh said, "People are protesting across the state regarding the incident and demanding the strictest punishment for the accused. Accused number one, who was arrested earlier, his house was burnt by women yesterday. Manipur society is against crime against women. They consider women as their mothers. This protest is to support the government to punish the accused."

The Manipur Chief Minister added that the people of his state consider “women as their mother” but the miscreants who attacked and stripped two tribal women naked in May, whose video has drawn nationwide condemnation, has tarnished the state's reputation.”

The chief minister said protests were launched across the northeastern state to condemn the incident. Singh was referring to the viral video that surfaced two days ago, in which two tribal women were seen being paraded naked and molested by a group of men. Four of them were arrested on Thursday.

Singh said that people are demanding that the culprits get the strictest punishment. He had said on Thursday that he will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment.

Manipur Women Set On Fire House Of Accused In Viral Video Case

Hundreds of angry women set on fire the house of Huirem Herodas Meitei – the main accused in the Manipur sexual assault and the alleged gang-rape case, hours after his arrest in his village in Imphal. According to reports, hundreds of women from Pechi Awang Leikai village in the Thoubal district turned up in large numbers after learning of Huirem Herodas Meitei’s arrest in connection with the shocking incident and vandalised his house and then set it on fire.

It may be noted that Huirem is one of four people arrested by the Manipur Police in connection with a viral video showing two Kuki women being assaulted, groped and paraded naked by a violent mob in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur on May 4. The viral video went viral on Wednesday triggering national outrage, strong condemnation and calls for stringent action against the culprits from all quarters.

Attackers Were Armed With AK, SLR, INSAS And .303 Rifles: FIR

The FIR filed by the Manipur Police in connection with the incident stated that an armed mob, nearly a thousand strong, attacked a village in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur on May 4 and torched, looted houses, killed and raped wantonly before abducting two women whose forced naked parade caught on video outraged the entire nation.

The FIR filed in this case on June 21, revealed the tale of mayhem which occurred before the abduction and shameful behaviour with tribal women, a video of which has now formed the basis of raids and arrests of people connected with the incident.

The FIR claimed that one person was killed by the mob as he tried to protect his sister from being raped on May 4 before the two were paraded naked and molested in front of others.

“Around 900-1000 persons carrying sophisticated weapons like AK rifles, SLR, INSAS and .303 rifles forcefully entered our village (on May 4)... In Island subdivision, Kangpokpi district, about 68 km south of Saikul police station. The violent mob vandalised all the houses and burnt them to the ground after looting all the moveable properties,” the FIR lodged at Saikul police station said.

The mob entered the village at around 3 pm and took away cash, furniture, electronic items, foodgrains, furniture and cattle heads from the houses, it said. The mob also snatched away five people who were rescued by police personnel from a nearby forest, the FIR claimed.

The five villagers had fled to the forest in fear following the attack. The police arrested four people in connection with parading the women naked and molesting them a day after a video showing their humiliation surfaced on July 19.

The arrests were made a day after the video surfaced, the complaint in this connection was lodged around a month ago, June 21, at Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district. Manipur has been rocked by ethnic strife since early May. 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.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.