Manipur’s viral video of sexual harassment by a mob in the middle ongoing ethnic violence in Indian state questions, are women an easy target for violence?

A video of two naked women forcefully paraded on street in the middle of mob, shocked everybody over internet. Women belonged to Kuki community and men are said to be from Meitei community. The whole incident took place when ethnic violence erupted in the small state of India, Manipur. It is north eastern state located east of Bangladesh and surrounded by Myanmar’s border. According to the information, Meitei is majority community in the region and is clashing with Kuki over land and influence. At least, 130 people have been killed while 400 have been injured since it started. Manipur is home to 3.3 million people, where more than half of the population is Meitei and 43% are Kuki.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the opening session of Parliament spoke about Manipur violence and sexual attack on women, ‘The entire country has been shamed by the attack on the women. I want to assure the nation no guilty will be spared. Action will be taken according to the law. What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven. As I stand next to this temple of democracy, my heart is filled with pain and anger.’ Modi has been criticized for remaining publicly silent over the conflict between two tribal communities.
Manisha Raj. is a volunteer at women health support and had worked in number of states. She is quite aware about the women situation in country and blames majority and minority categories for it. She said, ‘The women situation in India is no more hidden from the world. Be it the Manipur video or the crime cases we come across everyday against specific gender. It is shameful that despite India is becoming fastest economy of the world, cracking some remarkable defence deals with other countries, leaders are lacking in protecting their daughters. Who to be blame here? The law, parenting, gender inequality, illiteracy, society? It is the power given to majority. They misuse it.’
She mentioned Manipur case and said, ‘The video is disturbing and whoever watched it feels anger and rage against those men who were walking with no guilt and sense of shame. I feel apologized for those women, that they had to go through this over a dispute of land and power.’ The fight revolves around religious differences and homeland demands, how does women become the target? Ranjeet Ranjan is an Indian politician serving as a member of parliament and Indian National congress. She tweeted, ‘Why do women always have to bear the brunt of violence? Will it be discussed in the House? India is demanding answers form the government.’ In addition, ‘Prime Minister Modi, Smriti Irani and Home Minister Amit Shah have done the work of promoting this heinous crime. He should resign taking moral responsibility for it. PM Modi is as guilty as the Chief Minister. If the PM had broken his silence earlier, this situation would not have happened. INDIA will not sit silent on the issue of Manipur!’.
Manisha told EAT news, ‘If you have noticed in riots, either women are raped or robbed, beaten, set on fire are some of the instances that proves women are considered as a vulnerable one in the society. They are looked upon as a soft target. And the authorities given by Indian society to the men of this country also adds on to the power they reflect in their actions.’ Being a part of women health support, Manisha worried that a woman goes through multiple stages of trauma after being sexually harassed and considering the Manipur case, situation is worse as the video was public.
15 organizations represented by various communities of Manipur have informed United Nations General Assembly, New York on violation of human rights and humanitarian issues in the state. As per the information by Chronicle News Service, the collective of 15 asked for unbiased international attention and intervention. The petition contended that the region has transformed itself from consumer to opium producer which is a cause of concern for every ethnic identity’. Manipur is a high-tension region for administration and locals as illegal migration from Myanmar is very common. The pressure for land and employment due to population growth is forcing youth to indulge in other suspicious activities. The escalation in deployment of military forces is also creating chaos among locals.
After worldwide criticism Home Minister Amit Shah announced CBI would investigate the case. Meanwhile, local police arrested 7th accused who filmed the viral video. Currently Manipur’s Chief Minister is N Biren Singh, who is a member of Bhartiya Janta Party and also a Meitei. Opposition and Kuki community is constantly asking for his resign. People across the nation are protesting for peace in Manipur and against the sexual harassment. ‘We did protest few days, and got back to classes. But I am worried about my hometown and I call regularly to my parents, family and friends. I request Prime Minister to take action in this matter as soon as possible. Also, I want communities to not fight and maintain peace and harmony, as we are known for as a country’, said Kalsang. She is from Imphal (City in Manipur) and studies in Delhi University.