CBI to take over Manipur sexual assault case; trial outside state

New Delhi: The CBI will probe the case of sexual assault on two women who were stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur, a top government functionary said on Thursday, asserting that no effort will be spared to ensure stringent action against the accused in all heinous crimes in the state hit by ethnic violence.

The government will seek the trial of the case, the details of which came out in the open last week through the leak of the video of the horrific incident, in Assam, the official said.

The person who filmed the incident has been arrested and his mobile phone seized, the official said, adding the recovery of the mobile will also establish the sequence of events, including the leakage of the video.

The Government is also likely to move the Supreme Court on Friday for holding the trial outside Manipur.

The official also said that the Union Home Ministry is in touch with both Meitei and Kuki groups and talks are in an advanced stage to restore normalcy in the state.

According to the official, nearly 150 people have died during the three-month-long ethnic violence.

The probe into five of the more serious cases involving the Manipur clashes has already been handed over to the CBI, according to the official.

The video of the May 4 incident sparked nationwide outrage and has become a polarising political fault line between the ruling BJP and the opposition bloc INDIA.

The opposition also seized the opportunity to corner the Modi government over the issue which has rocked the Monsoon session of Parliament since it began on July 20.

The BJP has condemned the incident in strong words but at the same time questioned the timing of the video being made viral which happened a day before the Monsoon session of Parliament.