The gruesome incident of two Kuki-Zo tribal women being paraded naked on camera and then gang-raped in Manipur took place on May 4, just a day after violence erupted in the state. The video which surfaced today sparked widespread condemnation.
As Manipur continues to witness violence, a horrific video purpotedly showing two Kuki-Zo tribal women being paraded naked on camera and then being gang-raped surfaced on social sparking widespread condemnation. The incident took place in Kangpokpi district after B Phainom village was burnt down on May 4, just a day after ethnic violence erupted in the state.
The men were seen constantly molesting the helpless women as they cried and pleaded with their captors, a spokesperson of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) told PTI. The gruesome video which surfaced today showed the two women being paraded naked before a large group as they moved towards a paddy field to be gang-raped.
The ITLF condemned the gruesome act and demanded that the central and state governments, National Commission for Women, and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes take cognizance of the offence and take all necessary measures to bring justice to the culprits. "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 group said.
The clip has also made its way onto social media platforms, with people demanding measures to redress the continuing violence in the state. While the Manipur police hasn't given a statement yet, political leaders have expressed shock on social media and asked the centre and the state government to take action against the men involved in the horrific act.
The Kuki-Zo tribals are planning to raise this issue as well during a proposed protest march in Churchandpur on Thursday.
Since May 3, more than 140 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence in Manipur which erupted after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.