The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a charge sheet against nine accused persons in a case related to the abduction and murder of a 55-year-old Naga woman in Manipur in July amid the ethnic conflict.
Officials said the charge sheet was filed before the Special CBI court concerned in Guwahati, where the case is set to be tried as per the directions of the Supreme Court. The CBI added that further investigation in the case is underway and refused to reveal the charges against the accused.
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The ethnic conflict in the State, underway since May 3, between the dominant Valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo people, has led to the deaths of at least 175 people so far, with thousands of others injured and tens of thousands internally displaced.
Video goes viral
At the height of the conflict, Lucy Marim Maring, from one of the Naga tribes – which have so far not been pulled into the conflict – was abducted allegedly by a mob of Meitei people in the Imphal Valley district on July 15. The woman, who was suffering from mental illness, was eventually shot and killed. In one of the videos that went viral on social media, armed men can be seen shooting at a body, said to be that of Ms. Maring.
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As per the FIR registered by the Manipur Police in the incident, the woman was abducted by a mob of around 100 persons near the Sawombung Gate. Her body was recovered hours later. The local police had registered the case under IPC sections for murder, abduction and rioting, in addition to relevant sections of the Arms Act.
A day after the incident, the Manipur Police tweeted that they had arrested nine persons, including five women, seized a car as well as arms and ammunition.
Within hours of Maring’s killing, the United Naga Council – the apex body for Naga tribes in Manipur – had called a 12-hour shutdown in the hill districts in protest. But in a couple of days, the State government facilitated a meeting between the UNC and the COCOMI, a civil society organisation in Imphal representing the interests of the Meitei community in the ongoing conflict.
According to a memorandum arrived at between the UNC and COCOMI in the presence of State government officials, the COCOMI had taken “moral responsibility” for the killing and apologised, further promising to ensure that no other community is affected in this manner. Further, the State government agreed to pay requisite compensation to the victim’s family, following which the UNC declared that it would not hold any more protests on the issue.
In accordance with directions of the Supreme Court on dealing with cases related to the conflict, this was among the cases that was transferred to the CBI for investigation. The trial was moved to Guwahati. The CBI said it was in the process of identifying the other accused in the case.
