New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will refer Manipur viral video case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the government sources said on Thursday. The sources further told news agency ANI that the Centre will also file an affidavit in Supreme Court requesting the trial of a viral video case to take place outside Manipur.


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Meanwhile, the officials probing the Manipur incident have recovered the mobile phone used to record the video of two Manipur women being paraded naked, said the sources. On Friday, the government is likely to tell Supreme Court that the Manipur video horror case should be tried in Assam.


The source also said that officials from the Home Ministry are in touch with community leaders of both the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur. The top priority is to get both communities on the negotiation table, the official said.


The source further said that the opinion on reconciliation among both communities is divided, but the government is hopeful that there will be a breakthrough in the talks soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been personally monitoring every development in Manipur and has been receiving constant updates on the situation, the source informed. 


National Outrage Over Manipur Viral Video


 


A 26-second video from Manipur triggered outrage in the whole country where two women were stripped naked, assaulted and paraded by a mob. The incident allegedly took place on May 4, a day after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur. After a video of the same went viral, the police swung into action and arrested seven people, including the main accused.


The violence in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3 in protest against the proposed inclusion of people belonging to the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). 


The nearly three-month-long ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 160 lives. The opposition seized the opportunity to corner the Narendra Modi government over the issue which has rocked the Monsoon session of Parliament since it began on July 20.