A 20-year-old woman from the Kuki-Zo community, who survived alleged gang rape during the ethnic violence that engulfed Manipur in May 2023, died on January 10 after enduring nearly three years of physical complications and severe psychological trauma, without seeing justice.
Abducted at the age of 18 from Imphal’s New Checkon area and allegedly sexually assaulted by members of an armed group, she spent the remainder of her life seeking medical care and legal redress. The FIR filed in July 2023 remains pending, with no accused identified so far.
Civil society groups and tribal organisations have renewed demands for accountability, urging the Union government and investigative agencies to act decisively, while officials are yet to issue any recent public statement on progress in the case.
A Survivor Reduced to a Statistic in a Pending File
According to the First Information Report (FIR) and accounts shared by Kuki-Zo organisations, the young woman was abducted on May 15, 2023, near an ATM booth in Imphal’s New Checkon locality, at a time when the city was witnessing widespread violence, arson, and targeted attacks amid escalating ethnic clashes.
The FIR states that she was allegedly “handed over” by a group of women involved in the unrest to four armed men linked to a valley-based outfit. She was taken to a hilltop, where three of the men allegedly took turns sexually assaulting her before abandoning her in a nearby creek.
The woman survived the assault only because an autorickshaw driver ferrying vegetables found her the following morning and alerted others. Fearing for her life in Imphal, she fled the valley the very next day and sought medical treatment at a hospital in Kangpokpi.
Her injuries, however, required specialised care, leading to referrals to hospitals in Kohima, Nagaland, and later Guwahati, Assam. Despite months of treatment, she continued to suffer from uterine complications and deep psychological trauma, including prolonged distress and anxiety, community organisations said.
She formally reported the alleged crime on July 21, 2023, nearly two months after the incident, citing the hostile and unsafe conditions in Imphal at the time. A zero FIR was initially filed at Kangpokpi police station and later transferred to Porompat police station in Imphal East. More than two years later, the case remains under investigation, with no arrests made and no accused officially identified.
Delayed Justice, Violence, Displacement
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) described the young woman’s death as “emblematic” of the suffering endured by the Kuki-Zo community during the prolonged ethnic violence in Manipur.
Since May 2023, the conflict between valley-based Meitei groups and hill-based Kuki-Zo communities has resulted in over two hundred deaths, large-scale displacement, and the destruction of homes, churches, and villages. Thousands continue to live in relief camps, unable to return to their homes due to persistent insecurity and deep communal mistrust.
In this climate, crimes against women particularly sexual violence have drawn national attention, but survivors and activists argue that investigations have moved slowly and inconsistently.
In the present case, Kuki-Zo organisations say the prolonged delay in identifying suspects and filing charges compounded the survivor’s trauma. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and other groups organised candlelight vigils in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur following her death, demanding accountability and justice not only for her, but for all women affected by the violence.
The Committee on Tribal Unity urged the Union government to ensure that those responsible are punished, stating that accountability would “uphold the spirit of the Prime Minister’s Beti Bachao vision.” While the case has reportedly been transferred to a central investigative agency, no recent official update has been shared publicly regarding the status of the probe, further fuelling frustration and distrust among affected communities.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This young woman did not die only from medical complications; she died waiting for a system to acknowledge her pain with urgency and resolve. Her story is a grim reminder that sexual violence in conflict zones does not end when the physical wounds begin to heal it lingers through delayed investigations, institutional silence, and the crushing weight of uncertainty. Justice delayed, especially in cases of sexual violence, is not a procedural lapse; it is a continuation of harm.
At The Logical Indian, we believe that peace, coexistence, and harmony cannot be rebuilt on foundations of impunity. True reconciliation in Manipur or anywhere else demands that survivors are heard, protected, and supported without discrimination, and that perpetrators are held accountable regardless of identity or affiliation.
