Human rights activist Irom Sharmila on Sunday described the incident of tribal women being stripped and paraded as “inhuman” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene to address the situation in her home state, reported PTI.
Sharmila, who held been on a huger strike for 16 years in protest against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Ac, also demanded that Chief Minister N Biren Singh admit his failure and apologise to the residents of Manipur.
“It’s inhuman and quite a disturbing incident,” Sharmila told PTI. “I could not hold my tears seeing the video I have received. I am deeply pained and shocked.”
The 51-year-old activist said that it was clear that the state government had failed and asked why the prime minister was silent. Modi had broken his silence on the issue in Parliament on Thursday, nearly 80 days since the northeastern state reported violence.
“He [Modi] should protect the people of Manipur,” she said. “If he is concerned about the suffering of the people of Manipur, he must intervene...like the people of Gujarat, the Manipuris also require his leadership.”
Also read: Manipur: India’s history of violence and impunity repeats itself. How can we break this cycle?
Sharmila also said that the chief minister and all 60 MLAs should put aside their differences and hold talks. “He must talk to them one-to-one and consider their opinions and decide how to stop the feeling of hatred between the two communities [Meitei and Kuki],” Sharmila said. “That is the need of the hour.”
The video attracted national and international attention on July 19 that showed two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob. The incident had occurred on May 4 a day after violence between Meitei and Kuki communities were first reported in the state.
The BJP government had imposed an internet shutdown in Manipur on May 3.
After the video drew sharp reactions from the Opposition and the Supreme Court, the Manipur Police started making arrests in the case, even though the first information report was filed on May 18. So far, six men have been arrested for the sexual assault and alleged gangrape of one of the women. The sixth person is a juvenile, according to the police.
As questions against his government were raised, Singh has said on Thursday “there are hundreds of similar FIRs here”. It was not clear if the chief minister meant hundreds of cases of sexual assault specifically or violence in general.
Scroll has spoken to four Kuki women who recounted the brutal assaults they survived.
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