Nearly three years after two Kuki-Zo women were stripped, paraded and gang-raped by a mob in Manipur’s Thoubal district — an attack that killed the brother and father of one of the survivors — three accused in the case remain at large, two are on bail and the bail application of another will be heard in the Supreme Court later this month.
The husband of one of the victims, a former army jawan and a key witness in the case, told The Hindu that the prime suspect identified as Loya, accused of killing the two men, continues to roam free. He claimed that no serious efforts were being made to arrest him. The case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the direction of the Supreme Court. Manipur police arrested seven people, including a juvenile, in July 2023.
Pointing out the slow pace of the trial, the witness said, “We are attending the hearing through video conferencing (the trial is being held in Guwahati). Justice remains elusive. Two accused are already on bail. The main accused, Loya, who killed the two men, was known to us. Despite the survivor’s statements, he has not been arrested and continues to move freely. People told me this in the area.”
The victims fled their village in Kangpokpi district when ethnic violence broke out between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in Manipur on 3 May 2023. According to investigators, a mob of about 1,000 people attacked their village the next day.
The charge sheet filed by the CBI states that Loya beat the brother and father of one of the victims to death with a large wooden log and was also involved in sexual assault. Two other accused – Chinglen and Inaoton – named by survivors for their role in assaulting and parading the women, also remain at large.
The incident, which occurred on May 4, 2023, did not gain national attention until July 19 of that year after a video of the assault went viral, prompting widespread outrage and Supreme Court intervention. The case was eventually handed over to the CBI, which filed the chargesheet on 12 October 2023. The trial was shifted to Guwahati as the victims could not travel to the valley areas of Manipur for the hearing.
On September 8, 2025, the Gauhati High Court granted bail to two accused – Nameirakpam Kiran Meitei and Arun Khundongbam. Although the court recognized the serious allegations against the accused, it ruled that continued detention without trial cannot be used as pre-trial punishment.
The CBI prosecution alleged that Khundogbam was part of a mob and played an active role in sexual assault, gang-rape, nude parades of female victims and the murder of two relatives of one victim.
Kiran Meitei is accused of participating in the crime and spreading the video of the assault which later went viral online. Both were identified by the victims during a test identification parade that took place virtually.
The indictment also alleged that police officers present at the scene refused to help the women during the mob assault, allegedly claiming that the police vehicle had “no key” before leaving them to the mob.
According to investigators, the victim fled the woods over the next 48 hours before reaching safety. An FIR in the case was registered later, after the video surfaced. The CBI said the role of police personnel is still under investigation. The agency appealed to the Supreme Court against the bail granted to both the accused.
Another accused, Yumlembam Jiban Singh, filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the SC challenging the December 16, 2025 order of the Gauhati High Court, which rejected his bail plea only on the basis of the seriousness of the alleged offences, despite granting extended imprisonment. He is accused of filming and sharing a video of the assault and was seeking equality with two co-accused who are already out on bail. The Supreme Court should hear the case on March 24.
The other three accused who are still behind bars are Huirem Herodash Meitei, Ningombam Tomba Singh and Pukhrihongbam Suranjoy Meitei.
The Supreme Court’s 26 February order detailed the status of investigations into the Manipur violence, which are being monitored by Special Investigation Teams (SITs) headed by former Maharashtra police chief Dattatray Padsalgikar, who was appointed by the court on 7 August 2023 to oversee the probe.
The 12th status report presented by Mr. Padsalgikar on February 18 noted that Manipur had set up 36 SITs in eight districts to investigate riot-related cases, while 31 serious cases were handed over to the CBI. Of these, 20 charges have been filed, five cases closed with final reports and six investigations are still ongoing and expected to be completed within six months.
Published – 15 March 2026 20:24 IST
