4 shocking cases in strife-torn Manipur, 1 common thread: Long wait for justice

New Delhi/Gawahati Two women stripped, paraded and gang-raped by a mob live on camera; two young women looking to make their way in the big city pulled out of their rented accommodation, raped and murdered; two young men shot on video, their bodies thrown in a ditch; a mother and her seven-year-old son pulled out of an ambulance and killed, as they begged for mercy.

For five months, Manipur has burned in ethnic violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis in an unending cycle that had cleaved every aspect of the state -- its people, its bureaucracy, its geography, and even its politics -- in two.

Read here: Five months on, peace eludes ethnic violence-hit Manipur

Yet, even among the 178-odd men and women killed and 50,000 displaced, there are some cases that have truly defined Manipur’s horror. Five months after the violence first began on May 3, HT traced the families of four such victims, only to find them struggling to find closure in the face of justice crawling at a snail’s pace; and in one case, a husband trying to convince his suicidal wife that her rape was not her fault.

Three of the four cases are part of the 27 first information reports (FIRs) being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“We don’t give information of progress made in cases including details of whose statements have bene taken during the course of investigation in cases. In the cases related to Manipur, state police has arrested a few persons(in cases which were handed over to us) before CBI had taken charge of 27 cases. Apart from that, recently we arrested four persons in connection to the disappearance and deaths of two students from Imphal in July,” said the agency’s spokesperson RC Joshi.

Furore triggers action

On July 20, two months after the violence first broke out, a video of two women being paraded naked by a mob on May 4 at B Phainom village emerged. The women were allegedly gang-raped, and the father and brother of one of the two women were killed. After the furore, Manipur Police swung into action, arresting seven men, after which the case was handed over to CBI on July 29.

The husband of one of the two women told HT that their statements were recorded several times, and they were told that the agency will soon file a charge sheet, but added that he was disappointed that only seven people were thus far arrested. “These too were initially arrested by Manipur Police. So many people were involved in the crime, but there have been no more arrests. We are waiting for the CBI charge sheet,” he said.

The 64-year-old man, a former army officer who fought in the Kargil War said he was waiting for justice.

“I fought for my country and believe in the government and the Constitution. But when I see the inaction by CBI, my faith is shattered. I want to clarify that CBI have been helpful and met us regularly and spoke to us. But what we want is justice.”

He is also fighting another battle -- to keep alive his wife’s will to live.

“My wife wanted to end her life many times and I managed to save her. I have been telling her what happened that day was not her fault, that I would stand by her forever. Some day, God will punish those criminals,” he said.

The mother of the 21-year-old second woman in the video said that her family continue to live in Churachandpur, unsafe in their own homes.

“The CBI officers say they have arrested the accused; so many people were involved, but only seven have been apprehended. How is this possible? The photos of the arrested were shown to us by CBI over video call. We confirmed that they were there at the spot, but what about the others? I want those animals arrested,” she said.

The mother said that she was still waiting for the bodies of her husband and son. “On October 4, the CBI officials video called me and asked me to identify their bodies in the mortuary(in Imphal). The CBI officers said they will help us getting the bodies back. I want justice, and I want to perform their last rites,” she said.

But these two families have had, at least, multiple interactions with investigators.

The families of a 24-year-old woman and her 21-year-old friend -- both were raped and murdered by a mob near the car wash centre in Imphal where they worked on May 4 -- alleged that they had just one phone call from CBI in five months.

“Around two weeks ago, I received a call from someone claiming to be from CBI. The person said the call was being made from Imphal, asked me some details about my daughter, and the incidents that led up to her death. I was told that a team would visit us in Kangpokpi to record our statements but there has been no word from them since and I am still waiting,” the 24-year-old’s father said.

The 21-year-old’s family said they haven’t even received even one phone call.

Last month, both families received ₹10 lakh as compensation announced by the state and central governments, but there is no price on justice, they said.

“I want justice for my daughter’s death. The owner of the car wash centre where my daughter and her friend worked should be arrested and punished for failing to protect them. I want the investigation to be carried out swiftly and those responsible be given exemplary punishment,” the 21-year-old’s mother said.

The families of both girls said they are yet to receive their bodies, lying in the morgue of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal.

Read here: Students’ body in Manipur impose indefinite economic blockade against internet ban

Two months after the clashes first started, on July 4, 24-year-old Irengbam Chingkheinganba left his home in Sekmaijin Khunou with friend Sagolshem Ngaleiba, 31.

The next day, a video emerged that showed the two Meitei men tortured, and shot dead, allegedly by Kuki assailants. Their bodies are yet to be found, and their case has not been handed over to CBI. “Like other cases, we asked that ours be handed over to CBI but that hasn’t happened. Nobody has been arrested and the local police has told us nothing,” said Irengbam’s younger brother Priyobrata.

Manipur Police officials said the two men were likely abducted from Kanglatongbi, around four kilometres north of Sekmai police station, and taken to Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district where they were killed. “But like most other cases, we have not been able to do a proper investigation because of divisions on the ground on ethnic lines,” a police official said, requesting anonymity.

Families await justice

A fourth family awaiting justice is that of 55-year-old Joshua Hangsing, who now live in a ramshackle rented accommodation in Kangpokpi. On June 4, the family’s youngest son, seven-year-old Tonsing, his mother Meena and a family acquaintance Lydia Lourembam were on their way to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal from an Assam Rifles camp at Kangchup Chingkhong village in Kangpokpi district. Their son, Tonsing, had sustained a pellet injury to the head.

But despite police security, a mob pulled out the driver and the male nurse, both Meiteis, from the ambulance, and set the ambulance, with the two women and the child inside, ablaze. Hours after the incident, the police could only find bones inside. The family said they received one phone call from CBI. “Around 20 days ago, I got a call from CBI in Imphal. The person spoke to me for 30 minutes seeking details of the case. There has ben no interaction after that and have no information about the case or its progress,” he said.

Like the rest, all Joshua wants is justice.