Shruti Suman
Shortly after a distressing video surfaced from Manipur, revealing the humiliating parade of two Kuki women by a mob, Smriti Irani, the Union Women and Child Development Minister, confirmed that she spoke with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The incident in question reportedly occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, just one day after violence erupted in the north-eastern state. Irani strongly condemned the incident, labeling it as “condemnable and downright inhuman.”
In a tweet on Thursday night, the Union minister expressed, “The horrific video of the sexual assault of two women from Manipur is condemnable and utterly inhumane. I had a conversation with CM N Biren Singh, who informed me that an ongoing investigation is underway. He assured me that no effort will be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Tensions escalated in the hills of Manipur after the video from May 4 surfaced on Wednesday, depicting two women from one community being paraded naked by a group of men from another community. The video circulated ahead of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) on Thursday, aimed at highlighting their grievances.
The police have registered a case of abduction, gang rape, and murder against unknown armed individuals at the Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district. They released a statement, declaring their utmost efforts to apprehend the culprits at the earliest.
According to an ITLF spokesperson, the “despicable scene, which occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows men relentlessly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors.”
