Manipur Video: First Arrest Made But Here Are Key Questions That Remain Unanswered

Two months after a mob raped and assaulted two women in Manipur, the police made their first arrest. Hurrem Herodas Singh, 32, of Andru Township, was arrested Thursday morning after a video of the Koki women’s sexual assault went viral. Kuldip Singh, security advisor to the Chief Minister of Manipur, confirmed to CNN-News18 that the main accused, Horem Herodas, has been arrested. “He is seen in the video wearing a green shirt. We have detained him and we are interrogating him,” Singh said.

In the video, two women can be seen naked and sexually assaulted by a crowd of 1,000. The incident, according to the FIR, took place at 3 pm on 4 May 2023. Kuldeep Singh said that although the FIR was recorded soon after, the investigation was hampered as there were no clues available to identify the suspects. The video appeared yesterday. 12 teams were formed immediately to identify the accused.”

The police are trying to find the victims. The women, according to the officials, are not the complainants. They said their testimony would be crucial to moving the matter forward.

Points for reflection

1) The zero FIR in the case was recorded on May 18 in Saykol. On May 21, an FIR in the town of Yaribok in Thoubal District was registered under the sections of rape, murder, assault, hostility promotion, etc.

2) The complainant is the local village chief who said that the police were present when the women were taken away by the mob. Was the number of policemen calling for reinforcements? Have senior officials been informed? If the police failed to do their duty, was any action taken?

Kuldeep Singh said that the first media report was that the mob had kidnapped the women, their father, brother and another police person. He said that if evidence emerged, the relevant sections would be added to the FIR.

3) If the police are present and the FIR is recorded, how can Prime Minister N Biren Singh claim that he was unaware of the horrific crime until the video came out? Speaking to News18, he said, “After watching the video, I immediately asked. Yesterday at 1:30 am, a man was arrested.”

Beren Singh also questioned the timing of the video leak. Suddenly after 48 days, this incident came to light just one day before the parliament session. So it is important to conduct further investigations.”

4) The police said they are looking for the two women who were assaulted by the mob. Since they are not the complainant, their testimony is necessary to bring charges against the accused.

Media reports quoted their ordeals and testimonies earlier this month. If journalists can track them down, why is the administration so helpless?

Police failure?

Senior Manipur Police officers while speaking to News18 admitted this was an embarrassment to the force. One of them said, “We are ashamed of what happened.” On the role of the policemen on duty on May 4 at the crime scene, he said, “An investigation will be conducted regarding the conduct of the police. But for now, the focus is on who the perpetrators are.”

When asked why the department was so rushed when the video came out, the police officials said the situation in Manipur in May was not normal. They added that there was a complete breakdown in the law and order situation and that played a role in the way the issue was handled.

Officials told News18 that there are concrete leads available about those seen in the video and more arrests are likely in the next few hours.