Assault on tribal women in Manipur: NSCN (I-M) breaks silence, says ‘aghast, terrified’

While other Naga groups operate exclusively out of Nagaland, the women’s wing of NSCN (I-M) holds sway in both Nagaland as well as Manipur, including all the Naga hill districts, with influence on both the social and political life of the Naga tribes.

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Members of various organisations stage a protest against the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur. (PTI)

Written by: Esha Roy

4 min readNew DelhiJul 26, 2023 08:19 AM IST First published on: Jul 25, 2023 at 09:47 PM IST

For the first time since clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3, the Northeast’s largest insurgent group, the NSCN (I-M), has spoken out on the violence, condemning the sexual assault on two tribal women captured on video.

Condemning the incident of the women being paraded naked and assaulted, in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district of Manipur, the NSCN (I-M)’s women’s wing – the National Socialist Women’s Organization of Nagalim (NSWON) – said Tuesday that it had been “left aghast and terrified”.

While other Naga groups operate exclusively out of Nagaland, the IM holds sway in both Nagaland as well as Manipur, including all the Naga hill districts, with influence on both the social and political life of the Naga tribes.

In her statement Tuesday, NSWON chairperson Hosheli Achumi said they were shocked at “the nightmarish situation in Manipur where there are threats to women’s rights, particularly their livelihoods and dignity”. “Humanity is under attack in the most ruthless and cruel manner, that finds no parallel in the history of Manipur. What can be more horrific for women and girls when they were paraded naked, fondled and tortured in full glare of the people and media. The scene is simply heart wrenching and disturbing… The most painful thing that can happen to a woman as human being is… when a woman’s son and husband were beaten to death and her daughter gang-raped by the predators.”

She added that in situations such as this, “the height of gender-based violence”, “no society or organisation can sit silent, transcending socio-political and lingual boundaries”.

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Achumi alluded to other incidents of violence against women in Manipur, including the Naga woman who was “mercilessly killed on 5th July, 2023, at Sawombung, Imphal East district, by the Arambai Tenggol after being handed over to them by the Meira Paibis”; the “two Kuki-Zo nursing students lynched by a mob and left to die in the street’’, but who survived; a Kuki woman allegedly kidnapped from Checkon, Imphal, and raped twice in Langol and Ngariyan hills, who narrowly escaped murder; a Kuki mother and her two daughters reportedly killed in their Uripok residence in Imphal; two tribal girls working in Mamang, Imphal, who were allegedly raped and killed on May 4; and the Meitei woman married to a Kuki who was burnt alive along with her young son, while travelling in an ambulance.

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“All these brutal incidents sent shivers down the spine,’’ she said, condemning the use of rape “as a weapon of war or tactic of terrorism against women, as witnessed today in Manipur’s ethnic violence”.

The NSCN (I-M)’s statement is significant as the Naga and Kuki tribes have been historically rivals in Manipur, particularly since the 1993-98 clashes between them. The NSCN (I-M) was accused of instigating the violence, which had led to the displacement of thousands, particularly from the Kuki community.

“In these hours of tears and anguish, we stand in absolute solidarity with the victims of this ethnic conflict and convey our sympathies to all the victims. We condemn such sexual violence and killing of women / girls / child in the strongest terms,’’ Achumi said.