(MENAFN) A recent charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sheds light on the harrowing ordeal faced by women during violent ethnic clashes in Manipur, India, in May 2023.
According to details disclosed in the Indian Express, the document highlights instances where
the police failed to safeguard women who sought refuge inside a police jeep during the chaos.
As per the report, the charge sheet recounts how two women and a man, seeking safety from the mob, approached a police jeep parked by the roadside. However, despite their pleas for assistance, the driver allegedly refused to provide refuge, claiming there was "no key" to start the vehicle. Subsequently, the mob forcibly removed the individuals from the jeep and subjected them to assault, while the police purportedly abandoned the scene.
In response to these revelations, the head of the Manipur police informed the Indian Express that "departmental action" had been taken against the officers involved. Further actions, he added, would be determined by federal investigators currently probing the case.
The investigation stems from a disturbing incident that came to light when a video depicting two women being dragged naked in the street and sexually assaulted by a large mob surfaced online in July 2023, months after the actual incident occurred. Subsequent police complaints filed by the victims shed further light on the brutality they endured, with allegations of additional women being coerced into removing their clothes by the mob. Reports also surfaced alleging that one of the victims was subjected to a brutal gang rape in broad daylight.
Despite the presence of law enforcement at the scene, one of the victims lamented to a news portal that the police failed to intervene and provide assistance when they were most vulnerable. The case underscores not only the systemic failures within law enforcement but also the urgent need for accountability and justice for the victims of such heinous acts of violence.
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