MHA refers Manipur video case to CBI, seeks trial outside state

A senior official in the Home Ministry told ETV Bharat that the ministry has decided to hand over the case to the central agency after the circulation of the video generated a nationwide reaction.

New Delhi:In a major development, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday referred Manipur viral video case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with the Government likely to move the Supreme Court on Friday for holding the trial outside Manipur.

The video relates to the two women who were paraded naked and molested by a mob in Manipur on May 4. A senior official in the Home Ministry told ETV Bharat that the ministry has decided to hand over the case to the central agency after the circulation of the video generated a nationwide reaction.

The incident where two women from a particular community of Manipur were paraded naked by several miscreants from another community reportedly took place on May 4. However, a day before the monsoon session of the Parliament starts, the video was circulated on social media.

The person who filmed the incident has been arrested and his mobile phone seized, the official said, adding the recovery of the mobile will also establish the sequence of events, including the leakage of the video. The official also said that the Union Home Ministry is in touch with both Meitei and Kuki groups and talks are in an advanced stage to restore normalcy in the state.

Meanwhile, despite the suggestion from the MHA to various Meitei organizations in Manipur not to organize their proposed rally on naro-terrorism on Saturday, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI)-spearheading the rally, on Thursday said that they will go ahead with their programme.

“We have formally appealed to the local administration to allow us to organize the rally following the fact that the terrorists involved in narcotics business in the State are involved in the present mayhem of violence in the State,” said COCOMI convenor Athouba to ETV Bharat.

With this rally, according to Athouba, they will appeal to the government to take strong action against all people including illegal infiltrators coming from Myanmar and insurgents involved in the drugs and narcotics business. The rally will be organized under the banner of “Rally against Chin-Kuki-Narco terrorism” which will pass across prominent places in Manipur.

“The rally will be held under all circumstances even if the prohibition is imposed,” said Athouba. He said that 1050 people from the Kuki community have been arrested in Manipur since 2017 till date under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (ND&PS) Act for their involvement in the narcotics and drugs business.

Athouba also mentioned that 417 people from the Meitei community, 129 people from the Naga community, 1200 people from the State’s Muslim community were also arrested by the security agencies for their involvement in drugs and narcotics business under the ND&PS Act during the same period.

Significantly, senior intelligence bureau (IB) officials during their meeting with COCOMI representatives in Delhi on Wednesday asked them not to organize their rally suspecting that this may also aggravate the already volatile situation of the State.

It is worth mentioning that the present violence in Manipur began on May 3 after Naga and Kuki tribes in Manipur organized a “Tribal solidarity march” in all hill district headquarters of the state opposing a demand to include the majority Meitei community into the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Indian Constitution.

On the other hand, the centre's peace interlocutor for Northeast AK Mishra had a meeting with the representatives of several militant groups representing United Peoples’ Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) in New Delhi on Wednesday.

During the meeting, according to the sources, the militant leaders pressed their demand for a separate Kuki administration in Manipur. There are 18 militant groups under UPF and KNO that are currently under a Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the government of India and the Manipur government.

“It’s an ongoing talk which is very delicate. We can’t give any final assurance to the organization present in the talks,” a senior home ministry official said.

The tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement which came into force in 2008 between the Government of India, the Manipur government and the two umbrella groups of Kuki militants, United People’s Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) has been extended for another 12 months since March 1 this year. The SoO agreement with UPF and KNO was extended for one year till February 29, 2024.

The COCOMI and other Meitei organizations have been demanding the Home Ministry withdraw SoO agreement with the UPF and KNO accusing that they are involved in the narco-terrorism business in the State. Following their meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta BIswa Sarma and Home Ministry representatives, the UPF and KNO have withdrawn their blockade from National Highway 2, which is the lifeline of Manipur.