Crimes against women, kids shoot up during 2012
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 31 2012: With as many as 289 cases recorded during the period from January to December 2012, the outgoing year witnessed a quantum jump in incident of crimes against women and children in Manipur in comparison to previous years.

According to reports maintained by Hueiyen Lanpao, in 2012, 25 cases of rape, four cases of killing after being raped; 20 cases of suicides; 12 cases of molestation; one case of burning alive; 41 cases of assault; 2 cases of threat/intimidation; 56 cases of forced disappearance, three cases of abandonment; 80 cases of child trafficking and four cases of women abduction have been reported.

Some of the cases that have evoked strong public reaction included the rape of a 14-year old Nepali girl at Takhamai village in Senapati district who was left with both her eyes extracted.

The accused had been arrested by the police and he was sent to jail.

Mention may be made of the case of a tribal U-morok seller of Khoupum Tampak who was raped by four persons including two IRB personnel on the night of March 22 at Keinou.

All the accused have been arrested and put behind the bars.

Another disgusting incident which needs to be highlighted was the case of the rape of a 14-year old daughter by her own father.

The incident took place at Khumjamba Meetei Leikai on Churachandpur on August 10.The accused father was later rounded up by the locals and handed over to the police.

Two cadres of ZUF also threatened and raped four students at gun point on October 5 at Khoupum under Tamenglong district.

Film actor Thongam Tarun and Yumnam William, a driver in Imphal West Commando, who raped a student of TG Higher Secondary School after giving her drinks laced with sedative in a restaurant in Ghari were arrested by police and sent to jail.

One of the most recent cases that evoked widespread protest was the molestation and assault of film actress Momoco by Livingstone, a cadre of NSCN-IM on December 18 during a musical concert at Chandel head quarters.

The culprit is still at large and the State Government declared Livingstone as a 'Wanted Man' and announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone who can provide information leading to his arrest.

Even as tension over the Chandel incident was yet to die down, another equally despicable case of attempted rape and molestation occurred at Napetpali.

In this case, three persons, who claimed themselves to be cadres of KCP (City Meitei) group molested a tribal girl on Christmas eve.

The three accused were arrested by the police with the help of local Meira paibis.

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