BY PC Bureau
In a harrowing incident, a mentally challenged minor girl was allegedly raped and killed in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, police reported on Saturday. Found Friday in a Thanlon sub-division forest, her body showed torn clothes and injuries, marking the third reported sexual assault on a minor in the district in under a month. The girl had gone to gather firewood in Leijangphai but didn’t return, leading her father to discover her remains. A suspect is in custody, with investigations ongoing.
Alarming Pattern of Assaults
Churachandpur is reeling from a string of similar cases. On April 4, 2025, a 10-year-old girl from Chandel, residing in Churachandpur, was sexually assaulted by a juvenile boy. She was hospitalized, and the suspect was detained swiftly, prompting outrage from groups like the Zo Women’s Movement, who decried the lack of justice for prior victims. On March 21, 2025, a 9-year-old girl was found dead in a relief camp, with a rope around her throat and bloodstains on her buttocks. Her family and the Zomi Mothers’ Association alleged sexual assault, pending post-mortem confirmation. An FIR was filed under the POCSO Act, but no arrests have been reported.
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Manipur’s Deepening Crisis
These tragedies unfold amid Manipur’s turmoil, under President’s Rule since February 13, 2025, following N. Biren Singh’s resignation. The state assembly, active until 2027, is suspended. Since May 2023, ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis, triggered by a court order on Meitei Scheduled Tribe status, have killed over 260 people, displacing thousands. Churachandpur, a Kuki stronghold, remains volatile, with relief camps—meant as safe havens—now scenes of horror. Community leaders demand urgent action, as the state grapples with both crime and division.
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