The US has expressed deep concern over reports of sexual violence from India’s violence-struck state of Manipur, including disturbing videos that surfaced recently.
Two women were paraded naked, and one of them allegedly gang-raped, in an incident on 4 May, however, a video of this tragedy went viral only recently, sending shockwaves across the country.
The case is reportedly one of many such incidents from the state where violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities broke out on 3 May, following the Manipur High Court’s order asking the state to consider the Scheduled Tribe Status for the Meiteis.
US Government Expresses Concern
A US State Department spokesperson said the incident was “brutal” and “terrible” and conveyed sympathies of the US to the victims.
Additionally, the US encouraged a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the Manipur violence and urged authorities to respond to humanitarian needs while protecting all groups, homes and places of worship.
US expresses concern after women paraded naked in India https://t.co/NgEbyz9rdY
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 24, 2023
“Our hearts continue to go out to Indian people. As I’ve said, this is an Indian matter and internal matter, but of course, we are always here as fellow human beings sympathising with that sort of pain and that sort of suffering,” US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti told PTI while commenting on the video.
Previously, Garcetti’s remarks that violence in Manipur was a matter of “human concern” and that the US was ready to help India deal with the situation were condemned in India.
Manipur Civil Body Welcomes Discussion in European Parliament
Previously, India had objected to a discussion of the Manipur situation in the European Parliament, calling it an interference in India’s internal affairs.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a conglomerate of civil society organisations, lauded the European Parliament for passing the resolution and said it was significant given the “deafening silence” of Indian PM Narendra Modi on the issue. However, the group said that the violence in the state has nothing to do with religion.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also expressed concern and called on the Indian government authorities to hold all the perpetrators accountable and immediately restore internet services.
The near-total internet blackout in #Manipur for more than two months has led to grave violations like this being brushed under the carpet. This is emblematic of the widespread impunity in the state.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) July 20, 2023
We call on the Indian and Manipur authorities to hold all the perpetrators… https://t.co/95I3GQ7C8o
The Incident
The viral video is of an incident that occurred on 4 May, when about 800-1000 people hounded five people from the Kuki community, including three women and two men.
The group killed the two men, while the three women were stripped naked, one of whom was allegedly brutally gang-raped.
The police have identified 12 to 14 people seen in the viral video and have arrested six people in the case so far. A juvenile has also been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board concerning the incident.
More Cases of Sexual Violence Surface
Amid discussions on the viral video, several incidents of similar violence over the last two months are coming to the fore.
Recently, a photo of a woman’s charred body went viral. Ten Manipuri legislators from the Kuki-Zo community, including seven from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), released a statement on Thursday mentioning four other incidents where women were either raped or murdered.
In another heinous case, an 18-year-old woman was handed over by a group of women vigilantes called Meira Paibis (women torchbearers) to four armed men who assaulted and gang-raped her.
Meiteis Forced to Flee, Police Arrest 13,000
Meanwhile, an ex-militant group called the Peace Accord Mizo National Front (MNF) Returnees Association (PAMRA) asked Meiteis residing in Mizoram to leave the state for “their own safety.”
The Manipur government has said that it is going to deploy chartered flights to evacuate Meitei people from Mizoram. The Mizoram home department has, however, assured Meitei people that they are not in any imminent danger.#ManipurViolencehttps://t.co/R3fT95Rt9X
— The Wire (@thewire_in) July 23, 2023
While PAMRA later said the advisory was just a request, over 200 people have left Mizoram to seek safety.
A report by The Hindu said the police are keeping a close watch on the movement of people to prevent them from inciting violence by moving in large groups.
Manipur police have detained over 13,000 held in preventive custody and destroyed nearly 290 bunkers over the past fortnight to restore order in the violence-hit state.