Manipur horror: Tension in hills areas after May 4 video of two women paraded naked surfaces

Imphal, July 19

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Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side, officials said here on Wednesday.

The video was doing the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight.

Police said a case of abduction, gangrape and murder has been registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed miscreants.

In a statement, they said an all-out effort is on to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

According to a spokesperson of ITLF, the “despicable scene, which happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors.

“The horrifying ordeal suffered by these innocent women is amplified by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video, which shows the identity of the victims, on social media.”

While condemning the “sickening act”, the spokesperson in a statement demanded that the central and state governments, National Commission for Women and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes take cognisance of the offence and bring the culprits before the law.

The Kuki-Zo tribals are planning to raise this issue as well during a proposed protest march in Churchandpur on Thursday.

Manipur state has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between majority the Meiteis, concentrated in Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far.

INDIA will not stay silent while idea of India being attacked in Manipur: Rahul   

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday over the situation in Manipur and said “INDIA will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked” in the northeastern state.

Gandhi’s remarks came after a video shot on May 4 surfaced on Wednesday, showing two women being paraded naked in ethnic violence-hit Manipur.

“PM’s silence and inaction has led Manipur into anarchy. INDIA will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur,” Gandhi said in a tweet.

“We stand with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way forward,” he added.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also reacted to the video, saying the pictures of “sexual violence against women” emerging from Manipur are heart-wrenching.

TMC to raise Manipur issue in Parliament

Imphal: The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday said the party will raise the issue of ethnic strife-torn Manipur in Parliament, while condemning the incident in which two women were paraded naked and molested by a group of men in the northeastern state.

A five-member delegation of TMC MPs visited two relief camps each in Churachandpur, one of the most affected districts, and Imphal Valley.

The leaders also called on Governor Anusuiya Ukiye at Raj Bhavan here.

“People told us about their pain. The relief materials provided to the relief camps in both hills areas and the valley are not sufficient. Those camps should get sufficient relief,” TMC Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee told reporters.

He said the governor has informed the delegation that if any relief is sent from West Bengal, she will ensure that the materials reach the affected people in relief camps.