GUWAHATI, Jan 8: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Guwahati framed charges against six men and ordered their trial in connection with one of the most horrific incidents linked to Manipur’s ethnic violence of 2023.
The case pertains to the May 4, 2023 incident in which three women were allegedly stripped naked and paraded before a mob, two of them gang-raped in broad daylight, while two male relatives of one of the victims were killed. The incident had triggered nationwide outrage after videos of the crime surfaced on social media.
Special CBI judge Chatra Bhukhan Gogoi ruled that there was sufficient material on record to proceed with the trial and directed that all six accused “be tried by this court.” The accused appeared before the court through video conferencing from Manipur and pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out and explained to them.
CBI prosecutor Swayamjeet Sharma submitted that the investigation had revealed strong prima facie evidence establishing the involvement of the accused in the offences. He said the agency had meticulously collected material during the probe to support the charges mentioned in the chargesheet.
Defence counsel, however, opposed the framing of charges, arguing that the evidence placed on record did not justify prosecuting the accused for all the offences cited by the CBI.
The CBI, which was entrusted with the probe amid concerns over the gravity and sensitivity of the case, has so far taken over 27 FIRs related to the Manipur violence. These include 19 cases involving crimes against women, three cases of armoury looting, two murder cases, and one case each of rioting, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy.
The court further directed that four of the accused—Huirem Herodash Meitei, Ningombam Tomba Singh alias Tomthin, Yumlembam Jiban Singh alias Naocha alias Sana, and Pukhrihongbam Suranjoy Meitei—currently lodged at Manipur Central Jail in Sajiwa, be transferred to Guwahati. They are to be physically produced before the court on January 16 for signing of the charges.
