Violence in Manipur: women raped and forced to parade naked
A video from early May went viral today showing the brutality of clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities. A complaint was filed with police for kidnapping, gang rape and murder after relatives of one of the two women in the video were reportedly killed. Indian Prime Minister Modi broke his silence on the atrocities. For the Archbishop of Imphal, this is “a complete collapse of humanity.” For those affected, “we have requested the Armed Forces to airdrop relief material.”
Imphal (AsiaNews) – A video showing two women paraded naked, probably after being raped, in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur, has gone viral.
Since early May, the state has been torn by violent clashes, pitting mostly Christian Kuki against predominantly Hindu Meitei. With an Internet ban in place, it has been hard to get information out; nevertheless, AsiaNews has reported for weeks on the violence.
The video in question, which shows the women being groped and harassed by a group of men, was shot on 4 May. Its posting has sparked outrage across the country, while police opened an investigation into kidnapping, gang rape and murder.
Breaking his silence on Manipur more than two months after violence erupted, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that no one “guilty will be spared”.
"I assure the nation, the law will take its course with all its might. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven," he added.
For Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, capital of Manipur, what is taking place is "a complete collapse of humanity.”
“I was appalled and grieved when I learnt of this horrific incident when it became viral,” he said, speaking to AsiaNews. “It pained me. This brutal violence has been compounded by other violations unleashed on our women for the past nearly three months.”
At least 130 people have died since clashes broke out and more than 60,000 people have been displaced.
The incident is said to have involved two Kuki women in Nongpok Sekmai, a village in Thubal district, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) reported.
“The gang rape of the women happened after the village was burnt down and two men – one middle-aged and another a teenager – were beaten to death by the mob," the ITLF said.
According to police sources, at least one of the women was raped, and her father and brother were killed by the mob. The brother, 19, was probably killed trying to protect his sister.
The First Information Report (FIR) states that a crowd of about 900-1,000 people, some with sophisticated weapons, blocked police.
“It is very tragic that society is being divided along sectarian community lines,” Archbishop Lumon lamented. “Recently, a Naga woman was brutally killed”; instead, “we should hold women in the highest esteem.”
The suffering is even greater in camps for displaced people. Women and girls “have been uprooted from their homes, abandoned,” forced to leave “their communities, [. . .] fleeing for their lives. It is traumatic,” the prelate explained.
What is more, “in some places, relief material and medicines are in short supply. Besides, we are unable to carry relief items and medical supplies” since “we have to pass through other communities.” For this reason, “we have requested the Armed Forces to airdrop relief material.”
In Delhi, the central government has asked Twitter and other social media platforms to pull the video since the matter is under investigation.
The original FIR was first registered in Kangpokpi district on 18 May and the charge was transferred to Toubal on 21 June. No arrests have been made yet.
“The state police is making an all-out effort to arrest the culprits at the earliest,” the archbishop said.
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13/12/2023 16:03
