Guwahati: After the video of two Kuki women being paraded naked on the road by a mob in Manipur surfaced, Union Minister Smriti Irani spoke to CM N Biren Singh which she announced on Twitter.
However, the opposition immediately questioned her along with the central government over the silence that had been allegedly maintained for nearly two months.
The distressing video that surfaced showing two Kuki women being paraded naked on a road by that mob has created widespread outrage.
The victims were allegedly subjected to gang rape in a nearby field.
While the incident took place on May 4 just a day after the violence started in Manipur, the video went viral on Wednesday. The video is from Kangpokpi district, approximately 35 km from the state capital, Imphal.
Union minister Smriti Irani called the assault “condemnable and downright inhuman”.
She said that Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh assured her that an investigation is underway.
Opposition leaders have questioned the government’s silence on the matter, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stating that the Prime Minister’s inaction has led Manipur into anarchy.
He said that “India will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur” and expressed solidarity with the people of Manipur, urging for peace as the only way forward.
The violent clash between the Kuki and Meitei communities has already claimed the lives of 150 individuals and displaced around 40,000 others.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) issued a statement about the incident, stating that it occurred in the Kangpokpi district.
However, the Manipur police contradicted this claim, mentioning that the incident happened in a different district, though the first information report (FIR) was filed in Kangpokpi.
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Describing the appalling scene, the ITLF stated, “…The despicable scene, which unfolded on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows the men constantly molesting the defenseless women, who cry and plead with their captors.” The ITLF also highlighted the additional trauma caused by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video, which exposed the victims’ identities, on social media.
The ITLF has called upon the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to take immediate action in response to the incident. Girl Up Manipur and Eta Northeast Women’s Network, two women’s rights organizations, have strongly condemned the heinous act, describing it as “monstrous and barbaric,” emphasizing that such social evils and menaces are intolerable.
The Joint Unau Tribal Students’ Forum Delhi (JUTSFD) has also condemned the incident and demanded swift action against all those involved in the crime. Pradyot Deb Barma, Chief of Tipra Motha, a regional party in Tripura, expressed shock upon viewing the video.
In a recent tweet, the Manipur Police announced that a case of gang rape and murder has been filed.
They stated, “Regarding the viral videos of two women being paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on May 4, a case of abduction, gang rape, and murder has been filed at Nongpok Sekmai police station (Thoubal district)… An investigation is underway, and the state police are making every effort to apprehend the culprits at the earliest.”