A horrifying video of two Manipur women being paraded naked on a road by a group of men in Manipur has gone viral on social media, causing broad outrage and calls for action. In the 26-second video, a group of men, some of whom appear to be as young as 15, are seen groping and assaulting women from the Kuki-Zo tribe and leading them to an empty field.
The first information report (FIR) that the survivors filed claims that at least one of the women, who was 21 years old, was the victim of gang rape. The other woman was 42, according to the police report. According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), the incident occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, a day after ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki Communities broke out in the state.
The incident was criticized and referred to as a “crime against humanity” by Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Speaking with India Today NE, the chief minister stated that the state government has taken suo motu cognizance of the video and has ordered an investigation.
“This is a crime against humanity. I asked the police to arrest the perpetrators as soon as the video came to my notice today. Action will be taken against police officers too if they are found to be negligent in taking quick action,” the chief minister said.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani also expressed her revulsion at the incident, calling it “downright inhuman. “The horrific video of the sexual assault of 2 women emanating from Manipur is condemnable and downright inhuman. Spoke to CM N BirenSingh ji who has informed me that investigation is currently underway and assured that no effort will be spared to bring perpetrators to justice,” she tweeted.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, tweeted: “The incident in Manipur is very shameful and condemnable. This kind of heinous act cannot be tolerated in Indian society.”
Also on Thursday, the Indian Supreme Court expressed its deep concern over the viral video and requested information from the state and federal governments regarding the measures taken to apprehend the offenders. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said “In a constitutional democracy, it is unacceptable,”.
