Manipur gang-rape horror: No suspects identified 2yrs after FIR filed
What's the story
A 20-year-old woman from the Kuki-Zo community has died after suffering severe physical and psychological injuries from an alleged gang rape incident during the May 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) said she died on January 10, having never received justice for the crime. The First Information Report (FIR) was initially reported to Kangpokpi police on July 21, 2023, two months after the incident, and is still pending at Porompat police station in Imphal East.
Incident report
Details of the alleged gang rape incident
No suspects have been identified even today. The FIR states that the woman was abducted on May 15, 2023, from near an ATM booth in Imphal's New Checkon. She was allegedly handed over to four armed men by women from a group involved in ethnic clashes. The men took her to a hilltop, where three of them sexually assaulted her before dumping her in a creek.
Ongoing battle
Survivor's struggle for justice and medical treatment
The woman was rescued by an autorickshaw driver and taken to a hospital in Kangpokpi. She was later referred to hospitals in Kohima, Nagaland, and Guwahati, Assam. Despite months of treatment, she continued to suffer from uterine complications and psychological trauma. While she managed to escape, Kuki organizations said she "never fully recovered from the shock and injuries." The ITLF called her death "emblematic" of the community's suffering during ethnic violence.
Call for action
Community demands justice for the victim
Kuki-Zo organizations, including the Committee on Tribal Unity, held a candlelight vigil on Saturday, demanding accountability for the woman's trauma. The committee urged the Union government to ensure justice is served, saying punishing the perpetrators would "uphold the spirit of PM's Beti Bachao vision." The killing has fueled calls for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people, with groups claiming that coexistence with the Meitei population is no longer possible.