Manipur: Sixth accused arrested in connection with parading incident

Sixth arrest made by Manipur police in connection with Imphal parading incident.

PTI, July 22, 2023 : Manipur Police has arrested a sixth person in connection with the May 4 parading of two women naked in Kangpokpi district of the state, officials said on Saturday.

Police said the arrested person is a juvenile.

Police had made the first arrest on Thursday, a day after a 26-second video of the horrific incident surfaced on July 19. Three more arrests were made later that day.

The fifth accused, 19-year-old youth, was arrested on Saturday.

One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-army man, who served as a subedar in the Assam Regiment and had even fought in the Kargil War.

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.