Freedom Fighter's 80-Year Old Wife Burnt Alive In Manipur

Amid the outrage over two women being paraded naked in trouble-hit Manipur, yet another distressful incident has come to light. a freedom fighter's wife was reportedly burnt alive. She was aged 80.

The victim identified as Sorokhaibam Ibetombi was burnt alive on May 28 as the mob locked her up inside her house before setting it on fire, The Times of India reported citing a report filed with the Serou police station.

The victim is a wife of a freedom fighter who was honoured by former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

As per a report by TOI, the Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) has brought attention to the tragic demise of Sorokhaibam Ibetombi. The elderly woman's lifeless body was discovered inside her home in Serou village of Kakching district. The perpetrators had cruelly locked all the doors from the outside before setting the house on fire.

"No political leader, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bothered to express a single word of sympathy when the aged and helpless woman was burnt alive even though her husband was a recipient of the All India Freedom Fighter Tamrapatra Award," the MIYC said.

Manipur police and central forces have tightened security across the state to prevent any flare-ups in the wake of the viral video that emerged on July 19.

Police said they are making all-out efforts to arrest the remaining culprits by conducting raids at many suspected hideouts.

One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-Army man, who served as a subedar in the Assam Regiment and had even fought in the Kargil War.

A complaint in connection with the video was lodged around a month ago - June 21 - at the Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district.

More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.