Manipur Horror: 7th accused arrested including a minor among mob of almost 1000 men

A total of seven people have been arrested in the Manipur gang rape case after a video showcasing two women being paraded naked in the northeastern state by a mob of 900-1,000 men triggered nationwide outrage after it went viral on July 19.

Seven accused arrested 

On Monday, the Manipur police informed that among the seven arrested, six are the main accused while one is a juvenile. The State police are making an all-out effort to arrest the remaining culprits by conducting raids at many suspected hide-outs, it added. Meanwhile, 14 people have been identified based on the viral video. A case for gang rape, murder, and other associated charges under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered.

7(seven) accused persons including 1(one) Juvenile Arrested/Apprehended in the Viral Video Case:

As regard to the viral video of 02 (two) women on 4th May, 2023, another accused was arrested today. Altogether, 07 (seven) accused persons including 01 (one)

1/2

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) July 24, 2023

The first person to be arrested was a man named Huirem Herodas Singh, 32-year-old, who is said to be the main accused in the case. In the video, Huirem was seen wearing a green coloured t-shirt and dragging one of the women. Following his arrest, a group of women gathered outside his house and began demolishing the mud house of Huirem Herodas Singh with sticks. The house was then set on fire.

The brutality had taken place on May 4 and a complaint regarding the same was filed on May 18 by the family members of one of the victims. But the first FIR was lodged by the police only 34 days later on June 21 and the first arrest took place only 77 days after the alleged crime. A few hours after Huirem Herodas Singh was arrested, the police claimed to have apprehended three more accused in the case.

After taking cognisance of the barbaric video, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh assured that the state government will put all its effort to ensure that the accused receive the highest capital punishment. 

"We term it a crime against humanity. The state government will put all its effort to punish the culprits and implement the highest capital punishment for them. On behalf of the legislative party, I want to appeal to the people of the state that this event will be the last crime against women, children and elders. We should respect our sisters, mothers. Those who are involved will be arrested soon and punished under the law as earliest," said CM Singh.