India -: Manipur: Did Mass Arms Loot Strengthen the Mob ...? [excerpt from The Wire]

 https://thewire.in/security/manipur-did-mass-arms-loot-strengthen-the-mob-to-sexually-assault-women

Manipur: Did Mass Arms Loot Strengthen the Mob to Sexually Assault Women?

Any violent mob would not think twice before doing anything gruesome, including rapes and parading women naked, knowing that police are left with no weaponry, said a retired police officer.

File photo of violence in Manipur. Photo: Twitter/@MangteC

New Delhi: The FIR lodged in the case of rape of two Kuki women which happened on May 4 puts the onus on the police for not doing enough to prevent the horrendous tragedy. “However they [the rape survivors and two of their family members] were blocked on the way [when they were trying to flee because of the attack] by a mob and snatched them from the custody of police team by the violent mob near Toubul.”- 

The FIR, which was lodged on May 18 at Kangpokpi police station, was later transferred to Yairipok police station under Thoubal district. The rape was committed at B.Phainom village which comes under the Yairipok police station.

Did the mass loot of police armoury by the violent mobs across the state, beginning on May 4, strengthen the resolve of this particular mob which raped and paraded the two Kuki women? 

It may be mentioned here that The Wire had reported earlier how weapons of all types had been stolen by groups of people from various police stations and the police personnel deployed there hardly could offer any resistance. Various FIRs lodged earlier into the loot of police weapons say the mobs looted weapons even like Insas rifles, SLR rifles, AK assault rifles to pistols, magazines and whatever weaponry they found. 

The complainant – the village chief of B. Phainom village – who lodged an FIR in [ . . . ]

FULL TEXT AT: https://thewire.in/security/manipur-did-mass-arms-loot-strengthen-the-mob-to-sexually-assault-women