Manipur parade incident: Man part of mob arrested; CM says culprits deserve capital punishment
Imphal, Jul 20: A man who was part of the mob that paraded naked two tribal women in Kangpokpi district of Manipur and was seen dragging one of them was arrested on Thursday as the incident of May 4 drew widespread condemnation.
Police said the arrested person was seen prominently directing the mob at B. Phainom village of Kangpokpi district in the 26-second video that surfaced on Wednesday.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the video, police last night said a case of abduction, gang rape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed men and that all-out efforts were on to arrest the culprits at the earliest.
During the night-long raids, supervised by senior IPS officers, the person identified as Huirem Heradash Singh, age 32, was arrested from Thoubal district while a manhunt has been launched to nab others.
The two women are alleged to have been sexually assaulted before being set free by the mob comprising the majority community.
Meanwhile, villagers set the house of accused of Heradash Singh on fire and have also ostracised his family.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh termed the incident as "inhuman" and said the culprits deserve a "capital punishment".
Expressing strong condemnation, he labelled it as a crime against humanity and maintained that his government would not remain silent on this heinous crime.
He said that immediately after seeing the video, he had directed the Cyber Crime Department to check its authenticity and also instructed officials to conduct a mass combing operation at the suspected areas to nab the culprits.
Singh further said his government was putting in all possible efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the state and talks have been held with various civil society organizations of different communities, businessmen, leaders of religious institutions as part this process.
"As we have lived together for a long time and must live together in future too, misunderstanding amongst communities can be sorted out and addressed with talks, so that we can live together again peacefully," he added.
Influential Meitei body - Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) - also issued a statement saying it strongly condemns "the barbaric and uncivilised act of violence on two ladies parading naked in broad daylight at a remote village in Manipur".
The statement said that COCOMI is trying all possible means to hunt down the culprits wherever they are.
"The entire Meitei community is in deep shame and anguish over the clip...COCOMI firmly believes that all those involved in the barbaric act will not be spared by the Meetei community in any ways and befitting punishment will surely be given to everyone involved in the crime," it said.
One of the eyewitnesses of the May 4 incident, Hahat Vaiphei, claimed the villagers of B Phainom thwarted a similar attempt by a mob the previous day.
"When we started to relocate from the village, we were caught by the mob. They dragged us away from the village as we made appeals to spare us," Vaiphei told a YouTube channel run from neighbouring Mizoram.
She said the mob forced the two women to parade naked before raping them.
More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.
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Sports Ministry revokes WFI suspension, restores Federation's status as NSF
New Delhi (PTI): The Sports Ministry has revoked the suspension imposed on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), ending the months of uncertainty surrounding the sport and paving the way for resumption of activities, including selection trials for the upcoming Asian Championship in Amman.
The ministry had suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023 for lapses in governance and procedural integrity by the new body, which was elected on December 21.
The Sanjay Singh-led body had announced the conduct of Under-15 and Under-20 National Championships in Nandini Nagar, Gonda – the stronghold of former WFI chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh – and the choice of venue irked the government since the former BJP MP was facing charges of sexual harassment.
The ministry, in its order, said that the WFI has taken compliant measures, so in larger interest of the sport and athletes, the ministry has decided to lift the suspension.
"I thank the government for taking this step. It will allow us to function smoothly. It was needed for the sake of the sport. The athletes were suffering for lack of competitions," Sanjay Singh told PTI.
The ministry, though, has asked the WFI to follow certain directions, such as the federation has to ensure that there is a balance of power among the elected office bearers, and it keeps itself disassociated from the suspended/terminated officials.
It may be noted that Prem Chand Lochab, the new general secretary, was elected from the rival camp and the ministry's directive could be understood in that context.
"The EC of the WFI must give an undertaking in this regard within 4 weeks.
Any violation of the undertaking will invite appropriate legal action, including the action under the Sports Code," the ministry said in its order.
It also said that the WFI must ensure that the selection for all international events should be done in a free, fair and transparent manner as per the extant provisions of the Sports Code and the other latest instructions issued in this regard along with regulations issued from time-to-time by the UWW (United World Wrestling)," the order said.
WFI president said there is nothing that can't be followed.
"We have already shifted to a new office and soon we will call for an EC meeting and also issue a circular for the selection trials. We have no issues in following these instructions," he said.
The Asian Championship is scheduled to be held in Amman, Jordan from March 25.
The Indian wrestlers missed out on competing in Ranking Series tournaments in Zagreb and Albania due to the ministry suspension and the court cases filed by prominent wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Satyawart Kadian.
The wrestlers, who had led the protest against Brij Bhushan, had contended that the WFI did not have the authority to pick national teams since it was suspended.
The court had directed the Indian Olympic Association to restore the ad-hoc panel for managing the WFI but the sports body had refused, saying UWW, the world governing body, recognises only the WFI and won't accept entries from the ad-hoc panel.
The UWW had threatened IOA to suspend WFI again if there was interference in its governance.
"We are so relieved that this suspension has been lifted. There was a compete lull, the young wrestlers were suffering for no fault of theirs. They were missing tournaments, there was no national camp. The suspension should have been lifted long back," said a coach associated with a leading training centre in Haryana.
