INDIA OUTRAGE AFTER TWO WOMEN PARADED NAKED IN MANIPUR

WebDesk July 21, 2023 2 minutes read

The video of two Kuki-Zo women paraded naked and allegedly gang raped by a group of men in Manipur has sparked outrage in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said the incident had “shamed India” and that “no guilty will be spared”. The Supreme Court also expressed its concern over the assault. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said the court was “really disturbed over the video” and asked the government to take action. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) said in a statement that the atrocities had been committed in a village in Kangpokpi district against women from the Kuki-Zo tribal community.

It also alleged that the women had been gang raped. It’s well known that women’s bodies often become a battleground during riots and conflicts, and rape and sexual assault are used as instruments of violence to punish them. The Opposition, too, was vehement in their condemnation of the atrocities in the state and the government’s inaction. From the BJP, Union Minister Smriti Irani also condemned the incident and and called it “downright inhuman”. Congress Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra said that the “images of sexual violence against women from Manipur are heart wrenching”.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the incident. “This kind of heinous act cannot be tolerated in the Indian society,” he said. Congress’s Rahul Gandhi squarely blamed the Prime Minister for the situation in Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic violence since 3 May. A statement from Aam Aadmi Party read, “The inaction of the State and Central governments is painful for all the citizens of the country. We again request the intervention of the Prime Minister in Manipur. Turning a blind eye to the problem will not make it go away”.