A horrific video of two women being paraded naked on a road by a group of men in Manipur has been shared widely on social media, drawing massive condemnation and calls for action. The two women were gang-raped in a field, a tribal organisation has alleged.
The incident happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, some 35 km from state capital Imphal, according a statement by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF).
A day before this on-camera horror, clashes broke out between the valley-majority Meitei and the hill-majority Kuki tribe over the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.
When media contacted the women, she told them that “the mob assaulted us, asking them “to strip off our clothes”.
“When we resisted, they told me: ‘if you don’t take off your clothes, we will kill you”.
“The horrifying ordeal suffered by these innocent women is amplified by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video, which shows the identity of the victims, on social media,” the ITLF said, and appealed to the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to take action.
The Manipur Police in a statement today said they have filed a case of gang-rape and murder.
Political leaders and others have expressed shock over the Manipur incident on social media and asked the centre and the state government to take action against the men involved in the horrific act.
Internet has been snapped in BJP-ruled Manipur since May 4. The state is still seeing sporadic violence.
The Kuki tribe has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who belongs to the BJP. Over 120 have died in the ethnic violence and thousands have been internally displaced and are now living in relief camps.
