Manipur: Viral Video Captures Only 26 Seconds; Here's The Complete Story Of What Happened In Thoubal On 4 May

The Manipur violence erupted on 3 May. A viral video said to be from 4 May shows two women being forced to walk naked down a road and into a field by the mob, with some men forcibly groping them during the ordeal.

The victims, one in her 20s and the other in her 40s, belong to the Kuki-Zomi dominated hill district of Kangpokpi. The incident occurred in the Meitei-dominated valley district of Thoubal.

According to the victims' complaint, the video depicted only two women, but in reality, there was a third woman in her 50s who was also forced to undress by the mob. The complaint further alleged that the younger woman was brutally gang-raped in broad daylight.

The victims recounted that a group of 800-1,000 individuals carrying sophisticated weapons like AK Rifles, SLR, INSAS, and .303 Rifles invaded their village, looted, and set it ablaze.

Subsequently, the three women and two of the youngest woman's relatives fled into the forest. The police later rescued them and were escorting them to the police station when they were intercepted and seized by the mob, about two kilometers away from the station.

Tragically, the youngest woman's father was killed on the spot, and all three women were forcibly stripped naked in front of the mob. The youngest woman was then allegedly raped in front of the others, and her brother was killed while attempting to help her.

After escaping through the adjoining hill district of Tengnoupal, the three women found refuge in relief camps and a zero FIR was registered on 18 May in Kangpokpi district, charging "unknown armed miscreants" with abduction, gangrape, and murder.

After the incident video surfaced, Manipur police announced the registration of a case at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district and one arrest has been made so far.