Crowned India’s ‘best’ in 2020, Manipur police station now accused of inaction

Nongpong Sekmai police station, where two men were murdered and three women were assaulted was in 2020 adjudged the best police station in the country.

Nongpong Sekmai police station, where two men were murdered and three women were assaulted, by a mob two months ago amid the ongoing Manipur violence, was in 2020 adjudged the best police station in the country.

Women burn the house of one of the men accused of parading two women naked in front of a mob, in Manipur, on Friday. (AFP)

In a tweet in 2020, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said: “Congratulations to Nongpok Sekmai PS, Thoubal District on being conferred the #BestPoliceStationAward2020 of the country by Union Home Ministry. The award is in recognition of the professionalism, hard work, dedication and community-oriented policing by the #Manipur Police.”

The best police station, an annual award by the Union home ministry, is judged on parameters such as coordination with locals, crime rate, disposal of cases and cleanliness of the police station.

The police station in Thoubal police district is now in the news for alleged inaction against perpetrators of the violence. Officials in the station did not act until Thursday, when they arrested four people who were allegedly part of the mob.

The police action followed a horrific 30-second viral video which showed a mob – who were identified in an FIR as Meiteis – hooting and applauding as they groped two women on May 4. Details of the case reviewed by HT said that one of the women was also gang-raped.

The case details said that while a complaint was filed at Saikul police station on May 18, it was forwarded to Nongpong Sekmai police station on June 21. It also showed that the victims were in the custody of Nongpoi Sekmai police before they were taken away by the mob.