NewsRescue
A video that went viral on social media on Wednesday showing two women being paraded naked by a group of men in a village in Manipur, northeast India, stunned society and was harshly denounced by political leaders, public figures, and human rights organizations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the press ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament on Thursday for the first time, commenting on the situation in Manipur. He added that the episode had embarrassed 1.4 billion Indians and promised that “not a single perpetrator will be spared.”
“The incident that has come to light in Manipur is a heinous offense against any civilized society.” The entire country is embarrassed… Because of this, all 140 crore people are embarrassed. “I appeal to all chief ministers across the country to strengthen laws and take strict action against crime, particularly against our mothers and daughters,” Prime Minister Modi stated. For several months, he has remained silent on the ethnic violence happening in the isolated state.
The incident depicted in the unsettling video purportedly occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi area, a day after widespread ethnic fighting erupted. According to Indian media, a police complaint stated that a crowd abducted several ladies and stripped them naked. The group also allegedly gang-raped the women and murdered one of their family members. According to The Wire, both of the women in the video claim that police were present at the incident but did not assist them. Earlier this month, The Print supposedly released a full account of the incident from one of the women in the video.
On Thursday, a day after the two-month-old video surfaced, Manipur police announced the arrest of one of the males depicted in the video. N Biren Singh, the state’s chief minister, declared that an inquiry was underway and that harsh action will be taken against all culprits, including the potential of execution punishment for those who committed rape. Meanwhile, the Indian government has asked Twitter and other social media platforms to remove the video while the incident is investigated, according to news agency ANI, citing sources.
Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, reacted to the video on Wednesday night, calling it “condemnable and downright inhuman.”
The opposition parties chastised the Modi government for failing to address the issue in Manipur, as well as PM Modi himself for remaining silent on the violence. According to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, “humanity has died in Manipur” because the Narendra Modi government and the ruling BJP party “changed Democracy and the rule of law into Mobocracy by destroying the delicate social fabric of the state.” Other Congress leaders, as well as members of parliament from various other parties, vehemently condemned the film and demanded a response from the Prime Minister.
Manipur is in grave crisis following the outbreak of violence in May in response to protests by indigenous tribes seeking tribal status, notably the Kukis, against the dominant Meiteis community’s aspirations. Following conflicts, over 150 people were killed and tens of thousands were homeless. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of India urged both the federal and state governments to “make sufficient arrangements to ensure the protection of lives and property of all citizens and residents of Manipur.”