New Delhi: A day after a harrowing video showing two Kuki women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted by men in Manipur’s Thoubal district garnered outrage across the country, Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh said that he has called for statewide protests in condemnation over the video that has “tarnished the state’s image.”“Statewide, the video which became viral…we need to condemn it statewide. Because this state that we have, the people who live in it, they consider women their mothers. But miscreants did this and tarnished our image. So this is why, statewide, all over the state, in the hills and in the valleys, wherever, we will condemn this. The ones who are responsible for the crime will be given the harshest of punishments,” he told PTI, in mix of Hindi and English.Biren has been facing intense criticism over his administration’s failure to handle the ethnic violence that broke out in Manipur on May 3. Many quarters have blamed him for fomenting the violence or supporting one side.Many have further criticised the fact that it was only after a video went viral that the first arrest was made in the case, 78 days after the crime took place. This arrest was announced by Biren on Twitter.My hearts go out to the two women who were subjected to a deeply disrespectful and inhumane act, as shown in the distressing video that surfaced yesterday. After taking a Suo-moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action…— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) July 20, 2023A day ago, in an interview with the TV channel India Today, Biren said, “You should not listen to allegations but look at the ground reality. Hundreds of such incidents have happened, that is why internet is banned.”He was asked by the anchor as to why the chief minister did not know of the incident. He then said that the police will take action on the case.The Telegraph has reported on the accounts of a 19-year-old student who was also assaulted in Manipur and took exception to Biren saying that there is no place for such acts in Manipur society. “I don’t know why he is saying all these things now. Is it only because he saw the viral video?” she asked.The young woman narrated harrowing experiences of abuse. “My friend and I were caught and identified by the gang, made up of men belonging to Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun (radicalised Meitei youths) and some women. For over half an hour, these men kicked us around like kids playing with a football. Groups of men were jumping on us…. I am at a loss for words to describe what happened,” she told Telegraph.
