CBI court frames 15 charges against six accused in Manipur gang-rape case

A special CBI court in Guwahati framed 15 charges, including gang-rape, murder, and atrocities under SC/ST Act, against six accused in the May 2023 Manipur ethnic violence case

Guwahati: A special CBI court in Guwahati has framed charges against six accused in the case where three women were stripped naked and two of them allegedly gang-raped during ethnic clashes in Manipur in May 2023.

The six accused have been charged with 15 counts, including gang-rape, murder and rioting.

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The court of special judge Chatra Bhukan Gogoi set January 16 as the next date of hearing, where all the accused, including the four lodged in a Manipur jail, will have to be present in person before it. The two other accused are out on bail.

The special court framed charges against the accused on 15 counts, in the order passed on January 2, a copy of which is available with PTI.

The case pertains to the incident of mob violence on May 4, 2023, when the three victims were stripped and paraded naked, and two of them were allegedly gang-raped, while family members of one of the victims were killed.

The incident had come to light much later when a video surfaced and went viral on social media.

“this court, after considering all the pros and cons, including statements of the witnesses and documents, comes to unerring conclusion that there is a prima facie material against all the accused,” the order said.

Accordingly, charges were framed against each of the accused persons in the penal provisions of law under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

“The particulars of the charges, on being read over and explained, accused persons pleaded not guilty and claimed to be tried,” the order added.

All the six accused have been directed to be present in person on the next date ‘without fail’ to put their signatures on the charges framed against them.

Among the charges imposed on the accused under various provisions of IPC are that of murder, gang-rape, assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe, rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon, promoting enmity between two groups Meiteis and Kukis, and destroying dwelling places.

They have also been charged with different provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, including disrobing a SC or ST person, and parading naked SC or ST women.

“And I hereby direct that you all be tried by this court for the said charges. Particulars of the charges, on being read over and explained, the accused persons pleaded not guilty and claimed to be tried,” the order added.