Woman stripped and raped in Manipur speaks: Police were with the mob, they left us with those men
A day after a video of two women from the Kuki-Zomi community being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur surfaced, one of the victims told The Indian Express that they had been “left to the mob by the police”. Two women, one in her 20s and the other in her 40s, can be seen being made to walk naked down a road and towards a field by a mob of men. Some of the men can be seen dragging the two women towards a field and forcibly groping them. In a police complaint that was filed on May 18, the victims had also alleged that the younger woman was “brutally gang raped in the broad daylight”. In the complaint, they had said that they had fled to a forest for shelter after their village in Kangpokpi district, was attacked by a mob and that they were later rescued by Thoubal police and were being taken to the police station, but were stopped on the way by a mob and seized from police custody around two kilometres away from the police station. However, speaking to The Indian Express over the phone from her husband’s home, the younger woman alleged: “The police were there with the mob which was attacking our village. The police picked us up from near home, and took us a little away from the village and left us on the road with the mob. We were given to them by police.”
Also read:
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- In resolution on Manipur violence, EU parliament slams BJP’s ‘nationalist rhetoric’; India says ‘internal affair’
On a June afternoon, a crowd of around 2,000 people gathered outside Ravinder’s house and demanded that the family leave, threatening to burn down the house. The reason: Ravinder’s wife is a Kuki.
As Manipur’s ethnic fault lines deepen, pitting the Meiteis and Kukis against each other, ‘outsiders’ such as Ravinder – many who married local residents and settled down in the state – now find themselves stranded and, in some cases, separated from their families. (Read More)
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Speaking regarding the Manipur video case DMK MP Kanimozhi said, "The Opposition parties including DMK want a fair discussion on what is happening and want the Prime Minister to respond. The NCW has been aware of this and an FIR has also been filed but for weeks and months both have been silent so obviously they don't care about what is happening to women in the country."
Forty-one Meitei people have reached Assam from Mizoram after an ex-militants' group asked the community to leave the state following the Manipur video case, officials said on Sunday.
Cachar's Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta said these people reached Silchar from neighbouring Mizoram on Saturday night and they have been kept at the building of the Lakhipur Development Block in Binnakandi area.
"These are all well-to-do families and they came in their own vehicles. Some are college professors, while some work as senior government officials. They said that there have been no attacks in Mizoram as of now," he told PTI.
"They are saying that they will stay here till the situation normalises," the SP said, adding that Assam Police is providing security to them.(PTI)
When I saw the video of the public, brutal and utterly shameful assault on two women in Manipur, I broke down. Nothing can excuse or justify the sheer inhumanity of what took place. The incident also brings to the fore some deeper issues.
In Manipur, women have had an important symbolic role in public life and protests – whether it is the Imas of Ima Keithel (the women’s market) or Meira Paibis or even the women who led the Nupi Lal (Women’s War) against the British. However, the lived reality on the ground is different, and women in the state are subject to deep oppression. (Read More)
? Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Sunday said that she had come to Manipur to assist people and would appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani to visit to the state to look into people's suffering
? “I have not come here to do politics, but to assist people … I would appeal to the PM and Union Minister for WCD to come and visit the state,” the DCW chief told reporters at Imphal airport.
? “Women here have already approached me … violence is affecting them for the last three months,” she said. (PTI)
The Congress claimed on Sunday that there would be no movement towards peace in Manipur as long as N Biren Singh remains the chief minister as it urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act now and not "deflect, distort and defame to cover up" the "collapse of the so-called double engine governance" in the northeastern state.
In a tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Every passing day as the truth of the horror of Manipur continues to trickle out, it is clear that: The law and order in the state has collapsed. Mobs, armed vigilantes and insurgent groups are running amok. Women and families have faced the worst, unimaginable atrocities." The administration is not only complicit in the violence but has actively fanned hate, he alleged.
Ramesh said the social fabric of the state has been completely torn apart with a total breakdown of trust between communities.
"There won't be any justice or movement towards peace as long as Biren Singh remains CM. The time has long past gone for the Prime Minister to act. He must ACT NOW and not deflect, distort and defame to cover up collapse of the so-called double engine governance in Manipur," the Congress leader said on Twitter. (PTI)
? Civil rights activist Irom Sharmila Sunday described the Manipur video case as "inhuman" and "very disturbing" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene to address the situation in her home state.
? "It's inhuman and quite a disturbing incident. I could not hold my tears seeing the video I have received. I am deeply pained and shocked," Sharmila told PTI.
? Sharmila who hailed from Manipur had been on hunger strike for 16 years demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). She was force-fed by food tubes during that period.
? "It's clear that the state government in Manipur has failed totally. And when a state cannot control the situation, why is the Prime Minister silent? He should protect the people of Manipur. If he is concerned about the suffering of the people of Manipur, he must intervene... Like the people of Gujarat, the Maniuris also require his leadership," she said.
? "The CM must talk to all 60 MLAs putting aside the differences. He must talk to them one-to-one and consider their opinions and decide how to stop the feeling of hatred between the two communities (Meitei and Kuki). That is the need of the hour," she said.
? "I do not think this ban on the internet has helped in controlling violence in Manipur. On the contrary, Had the internet been working, the women (strip parade victims) could have got justice and the culprits were behind bars," she said. (PTI)
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal arrived in strife-torn Manipur on Sunday, a day after the state government allegedly denied her permission for the visit.
Earlier in the day, she said she will be going ahead with her planned visit to the northeastern state. 'Just landed in Manipur. I've sought time from CM @NBirenSingh ji. I hope he accepts my request at the earliest,' Maliwal said on Twitter.
The DCW chief had alleged on Saturday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Manipur had refused to let her visit the state to interact with the survivors of sexual violence.
In a tweet on Sunday, Maliwal said she has written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, seeking an urgent meeting with him during her visit. 'Manipur Govt recommended I consider postponing my visit due to law and order situation. After deliberation on their suggestion, have decided to fly to Imphal as planned. Sought time from Manipur CM. Will meet him and request him to come along to visit the sexual assault survivors,' Maliwal tweeted. (PTI)
When it’s time,
The era of the Poo Nagam
Wouldn’t just avenge those
That wreaked havoc on us,
But also, who remained as
Silent witnesses!
It is with these ominous lines that DMK MP Dr Sumathy’s poem Poo Nagam concludes. The MP, also known as Thamizhachi Thangapandian, translated the poem from Tamil to English and distributed them among fellow parliamentarians as the video of an assault of two Kuki-Zomi women in Manipur sent shockwaves across the country. (Read More)
Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal reached Manipur today and said that she would be meeting the Manipur CM and ask him why the administration wasn't allowing her to meet the survivors of sexual assault. ""I will meet Manipur CM and ask him why the administration isn't allowing us to meet the survivors of sexual assault. We want to ensure their safety," she said.
Amid the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s attack on Opposition parties over violence against women in their states, veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram hit back, saying how can the situation in Manipur be compared to states like Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan. The political slugfest was ignited by the viral video showing Kuki women being paraded naked in the violence-hit Manipur.
“Let’s admit that there were incidents of violence against women in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan. How does that excuse the continuing and relentless violence in Manipur?” he wrote on Twitter.
“How can the situation in Manipur be compared to the situation in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan?” Chidambaram added. “If stern action is required in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan, certainly instruct the state governments to take stronger action, but that does not excuse the barbarism that is taking place in Manipur,” he said.
Read more
Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki minister in the Manipur cabinet, has demanded capital punishment for the culprits in the viral video case. In a video posted on her official Twitter account, she said, “As a mother, sister and daughter, I have no words to express my deep pain after seeing the recently surfaced video where Kuki-Zo women were paraded naked and sexually assaulted on May 4, 2023,” and raised her strongest condemnation of the incident before demanding capital punishment for the culprits “without bias.”
The outrage that followed a video of two Kuki-Zomi women being stripped and sexually assaulted in Manipur has led to panic among the small community of Meiteis residing in Mizoram, with many of them leaving the state on Saturday. In response to the situation, the Manipur government said it is willing to evacuate them from the state through chartered flight.
The Mizos of Mizoram share a deep ethnic bond with the Kuki-Zomis of Manipur and have been closely watching the developments in the neighbouring state. In fact, 12,584 Kuki-Zomi people from Manipur have sought shelter in Mizoram since the violence began on May 3.
The current panic began after the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) — an association of former underground Mizo National Front Militants — issued a statement on Friday asking Meiteis residing in Mizoram to leave “for their own safety”. The statement, written in Mizo, states that the sentiments of Mizo people were deeply hurt by the violence against the Zo ethnic community in Manipur, and that it is no longer safe for Meitei people to continue living in Manipur.
Sukrita Baruah reports
Rosy Kimneihoi Haokip, Thangminlen Haokip and Kishan Kangabam share a dream: of getting into Delhi University. Yet, for the three 18-year-olds from Manipur, where life these days often hangs by an address, a surname, a dialect, that dream is now riddled with nightmares.
With results for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) declared last week, DU had invited students to upload their CUET scores and pick their preferences for college and course. The process ends on June 24, after which the first merit list is expected to be published on August 1. For Rosy, Thangminlen and Kishan, the wait begins now. (Read More)
Manipur police have arrested a total of six people, including one juvenile, in connection with the Manipur video case, which showed two women being paraded naked by a mob. While two of the accused were arrested today, four people were sent to 11-day police custody on Friday, after being arrested on Thursday.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday called for capital punishment to the accused arrested in connection with the horrific incident of May 4 in Kangpokpi district of the violence-hit Manipur where two women were paraded naked.
"Manipur is a sensitive issue and the Government of India is viewing it very seriously. The atrocities against women is a serious thing. Many people are burning the houses. We appeal to the communities to maintain peace," he said.
"I appeal to both sides...we don't want violence there, we want peace. But the recent atrocities against women are very serious. Eleven accused were taken into custody. Our demand is that they should be punished by hanging. That is also our party's demand. This is a serious incident. And should be punished accordingly," the Union Minister and the leader of the Republican Party of India (Athawale), said. (PTI)
The Centre will present facts on the Manipur incident in the Parliament, Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday and declined to speak on the viral video that showed two women being paraded in the north eastern state. Refusing to be drawn into any controversy over the May 4 incident that took place in Kangpokpi district, he indicated that it would be inappropriate to discuss the issue outside the Parliament.
"Whatever matters are to be discussed in the Parliament we will present our point of view. But right now, I can't say anything outside on the matter," Rijiju told reporters here when his comments on the issue were sought. (PTI)
Amid protests by tribal organisations in the state on the recent video from Manipur of two women being sexually assaulted by a mob, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu on Friday that there is a “grave sense of insecurity among the ethnic groups” residing in Manipur and that “our tribal brothers and sisters” cannot be treated in an “appallingly barbaric way”.
Saying he was compelled to write to Murmu, also from the ST community, as “silence in the face of cruelty is a terrible crime”, he appealed for a way forward. (Read More)
With the BJP pointing to alleged incidents of sexual assault in Rajasthan, among other Opposition-ruled states, to counter condemnation over the Manipur video of tribal women being paraded naked and assaulted, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting poll-bound Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh rather than the strife-torn state of Manipur.
Reacting to the PM’s statement on Manipur, where he also drew attention to incidents in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Gehlot said: “The manner in which the PM behaved and expressed grief, and said that I would like to tell the CMs of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Manipur to take care… this is an attack on Rajasthan’s pride. (The PM said) 140 crore people are ashamed. No, they are not ashamed but are saddened by the actions, failures and negligence of your government.” (Read More)
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Saturday that the secular, democratic society in the country should realise that the “Sangh Parivar agenda converted Manipur into a riot zone”.
In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said the Sangh Parivar has been sowing hatred in Manipur. “What is happening under the guise of a riot is a Christian hunt. Churches of Christian tribal groups have been attacked and destroyed in a concerted manner,” he said. (Read More)
Just two days before a police complaint was filed in connection with incident of two Manipuri women being stripped and paraded, another zero FIR in another case was registered at the same police station – in connection with the alleged abduction, rape and murder of two Kuki-Zomi women. In this case, too, it took over a month for the FIR to be transferred to the relevant police station in Imphal East. Now, more than two months later, the family that filed the complaint has told The Indian Express they don’t know if any headway has been made in the probe. (Read More)
Amid the stalemate in Parliament over holding a debate on Manipur violence, MPs of various opposition parties have planned a protest on Monday near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament complex to press for the prime minister's statement on the issue in both houses.
Sources said leaders of various opposition parties who have now formed the INDIA alliance will meet in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and will discuss their further strategy in Parliament.
After the meeting at 10 AM on Monday, July 24, the leaders will hold a protest near the Gandhi statue before entering both houses.
The government has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion on the Manipur issue with the Home Minister replying to it, but the opposition is adamant on its demand for the prime minister's statement first, especially after a video of two women being paraded naked and assaulted in a Manipur village appeared on social media. (PTI)
Manipur Police has arrested a fifth person in connection with the May 4 parading of two tribal women in Kangpokpi district of the state, officials said on Saturday.
The two women are alleged to have been sexually assaulted before being set free by a mob. A 26-second video of the incident surfaced on Wednesday.
A man who was part of the mob that paraded the women at B. Phainom village and was seen dragging one of them was among four people arrested on Thursday as the incident drew widespread condemnation. (PTI)
It took a horrific video to get the Supreme Court to intervene, the Prime Minister to break his silence through a grudging and mendacious reaction full of whataboutery, and the nation to express its shame at the events in Manipur. But these reactions do not wash off the taint of vile moral callousness, the indifference to moral motivation, the incitement to brutality, and the inversion of values, that now marks our political culture. The reactions to the video across the board underscored that callousness.
This was most vividly on display in the Prime Minister’s statement. As a wit once said about this Prime Minister, whenever there is an atrocity the only thing worse than the PM not speaking is him speaking. The tone was petulant, angry at the fact that a lid could not be kept on an ongoing story of ethnic targeting in Manipur. The train of political equivalences was just shockingly callous. Yes, Rajasthan recently had a horrific incident, but no one in the state government was covering it up or legitimising it, and the institutional machinery was at least put to work. (Read More)
Union Minister Anurag Thakur today said "The incidents of crime against women have increased in some states of the country and no action was taken against this in several states. What happened in Begusarai is in front of us, but CM Nitish Kumar did not speak a single word about this. Rajasthan has become the number one state in crime against women. A total of 1.09 lakhs incidents of crime against women in the state in last 4 years and 22% rape cases in India are from Rajasthan. Instead of taking any steps against the criminals. CM Ashok Gehlot sacked one of his ministers Rajendra Gudha for raising his voice against atrocities on women in the state."
Reacting to the ongoing violence in Manipur, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "If PM Modi could not visit Manipur, he should have called a meeting and reviewed the situation in Manipur. For the first time, I have seen that a Prime Minister is visiting Karnataka, Rajasthan and other places for elections but not Manipur. It is his govt in Manipur, imagine if Congress was in power there what all he would have said."
On Thursday, the first day of the Monsoon session of the Parliament, Prime Minister had finally broken his silence on Manipur. He condemned a viral video of women being paraded naked and molested, and made a reference to incidents in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, both Congress-ruled states headed soon for elections.
Reacting sharply, Gehlot had tweeted: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and dignity of women. After the gruesome gang rape in Jodhpur, the three accused were arrested in just two hours. Whereas BJP took 77 days to nab just one accused in the shameful incident of Manipur. Time to answer on crime: Congress — two hours, BJP — 77 days.”
Union Minister Smriti Irani expressed concern over the sensitive issue of the Manipur viral video, emphasising its potential implications for national security, which the opposition leaders were aware of but avoided discussing on the Parliament floor. She also highlighted incidents from Rajasthan and West Bengal, where the Congress allegedly dismissed concerns raised about crime against women and violence. Irani accused the Congress of being a passive observer during the West Bengal Panchayat elections, implying a desire for collaboration with TMC.
Police have arrested the fifth accused in connection with the video that surfaced on July 19 showing two women being paraded naked by a mob in strife-torn Manipur, police said.
The accused has been identified as a 19-year-old, police said.
The four who were earlier nabbed for disrobing and parading two women in Manipur on May 4 were remanded to 11-day police custody on Friday, police said.
The arrests were made on Thursday, a day after the 26-second video surfaced on July 19.
The house of the key accused in the case was torched on Thursday, hours after he was arrested by police.
According to police, he was seen prominently directing the mob at B. Phainom village of Kangpokpi district in the video.
One of the women seen in the video is the wife of an ex-army man who had served in the Indian Army as a Subedar of the Assam Regiment and even fought in the Kargil War.
It may be recalled, that the complaint in connection with the viral video was lodged around a month ago – June 21 – at Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district.
The FIR filed in this case, a copy of which has been seen by PTI, revealed the tale of mayhem which occurred before the abduction and shameful behaviour with tribal women, a video of which has now formed the basis of raids and arrests of people connected with the incident.
The FIR claimed that one person was killed by the mob as he tried to protect his sister from being raped on May 4 before the two were paraded naked and molested in front of others.
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.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts. (PTI)
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