In Manipur, another FIR on rape, murder of 2 young women; family in dark about probe

A zero FIR can be filed at any police station regardless of whether the offence was committed under its jurisdiction. In Manipur, several such FIRs were filed during the violence since families had either been displaced or their loved ones were injured or killed in areas far away from home.

On May 16, a zero FIR was registered over the death of two young Kuki-Zomi women, aged 21 and 24, at Saikul police station in their home district of Kangpokpi. The FIR, which was based on a complaint by the mother of the younger woman, was registered under sections of murder, rape and abduction. In the complaint, the mother had stated that the two young women, who worked at a car wash in Imphal East, had been “brutally murdered” in their rented accommodation on May 5 “after being raped and gruesome(ly) tortured by some unknown persons”, believed to be “about 100-200” in number.

This FIR was transferred to Porompat police station in Imphal East district only on June 13. Speaking to The Indian Express on Friday, a cousin of the 21-year-old said the family’s last correspondence with police in Imphal East was around two weeks after May 5, when photos of two bodies were sent to them by the cops, and the families identified them.

“We haven’t even received the post-mortem report,” the cousin said.

This particular case was also among incidents which had been flagged to the National Commission for Women in a complaint by two activists and the North American Manipur Tribal Association on June 12, along with the incident from the viral video.

The two women, who are from the same village, worked at the same car wash shop in Imphal and lived together in the city in rented accommodation. The Indian Express had also spoken to their families last month while reporting on why many bodies had remained unclaimed in hospital mortuaries.

At the time, the 21-year-old’s mother had said that when she had called her daughter on May 5 evening, the call had been received by a woman who spoke in Manipuri language and threatened her. When she tried calling again, the phone was switched off.

On Friday, the cousin said that most of the information the family had on what transpired that evening is through a Naga co-worker, who also shared accommodation with the two women.

“He told us that a mob arrived there and said they knew there were two Kuki girls there and demanded to know where they were. In fear, another person staying there pointed them towards their room. They snatched them and took them outside. He said that they manhandled the girls, put some cloth into their mouths and dragged them into a hall and locked the door. They were inside till 7:10 pm. After they left, when the others went into the room, the two girls were no more. My cousin’s long hair was also cut,” she alleged.

According to an official from Saikul police station, in both cases – the one from the viral video  and this particular one – the relevant police stations had been informed on the same day through wireless message, but the cases were transferred much later because of tensions in the state. “Because of the situation, even police were not safe going to the areas of the other community. That is why personnel from our police station were not able to go to the valley, and their personnel could not come here,” said the officer.