Khushi Vats, Pune
A married Meiti woman has filed a zero FIR alleging that she was groped and gang-raped by some Kuki men in the hills of Churachandpur on May 3. Just a few days after the horrors of Meiti men parading naked Kuki women came to light, another woman alleged that she was gang raped.
The case was registered by the Women’s Police Station, Churachandpur district. It was primarily filed by a police station at Bishnupur around 4.30 p.m. on August 9, but it was later shifted to Churachandpur district’s police station.
Cases under the IPC sections 376D (gang-rape), 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention), have been imposed on the people committing the crime.
The incident is dated to May 3, 2023, when violence started erupting in the state. Whereas another incident that sent shock waves across the country, where a Kuki woman was paraded naked in the streets, was dated May 4, 2023.
After the video of the latter, several women have been coming up to share their ordeals. Many Meiti people have fled their homes to escape violence and find safety. They are living in tents set up by the government. While the relief work continues, more and more women’s assault-related cases are being filed at Manipur Police Station.
Police ordered a medical examination for the 37-year-old married Meiti woman. Women have been prone to sexual assaults in Manipur since the eruption of ethnic violence. While the government will address the no-confidence motion on the matter, the situation keeps getting worse.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi initiated the no-confidence debate on Tuesday, which later turned into a heated verbal tussle between the opposition party and the ruling party.