India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted a formal chargesheet against six individuals furnished a report regarding one ‘child in conflict with the law’ on Tuesday in connection with a video of two tribal women being paraded naked in India’s Manipur state. Following the dissemination of the incident and the related footage across social media platforms in July, sparking nationwide indignation, the Supreme Court initiated proceedings on its own accord, resulting in the transfer of the case to the jurisdiction of the CBI.
According to The Hindu, the individuals have been charged with criminal conspiracy, common intention, rioting with deadly weapons, outraging the modesty of women and indulging in gang rape under the Indian Penal Code. This is in direct response to concerns surrounding gender violence and women’s rights. Notably, these charges also include elements outlined in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The CBI filed the chargesheet before a special CBI Court in Guwahati, Assam.
The section pertaining to homicide has also been invoked, as it was alleged that the mob that paraded the two tribal women had also killed villagers including two of the victims’ family members. Reports have clarified that the CBI is actively conducting an inquiry to identify additional individuals who may be involved, beyond those already mentioned in the current chargesheet.
The agency, following a referral from the State government and an official notification from the Central government, initiated the police report and registered the case with allegations that “on May 4 [2023], a crowd of approximately 900-1,000 individuals, armed with sophisticated weapons, entered B. Phainom village in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur, vandalized and set houses ablaze, looted properties, assaulted villagers, committed murders, [and] sexually assaulted women.”
Manipur has been grappling with a prolonged period of ethnic tensions, marked by clashes between the hill-dwelling Kuki tribal community and the valley-dwelling Meiteis.
