Shillong, July 25: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has dispatched a team to Manipur to meet survivors of sexual assault from both communities amidst ongoing sporadic violence in the state.
Prior to the viral video of two women being brutally assaulted in Manipur, activists had already alerted the NCW about this incident, along with other instances of rape, kidnapping, lynching, immolation, and even murders in the conflict-ridden state. The NCW was notified of these grave matters through a letter dated June 12, written by two activists who had personally visited Manipur and engaged with the North American Manipur Tribal Association.
India Today reported that the activists asserted that there was a distressing silence and under-reporting of sexual and gender-based violence experienced during the conflict, highlighting how Kuki-Zomi women bore the brunt of rapes, sexual assaults, and murders perpetrated by the “Meitei vigilante mob.”
One of the distressing incidents that came to light was the heinous act that occurred on May 4 in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. On that day, two women were disrobed, paraded naked, beaten, and then subjected to a marauding mob, with one of them allegedly being gang-raped. Shockingly, the state police commandos remained passive observers while the mob engaged in the gruesome acts, including lynching and torching of homes.
The NCW chief Rekha Sharma took suo-motu cognizance of the situation after the video of the May 4 incident went viral on July 19. Despite reaching out to Manipur authorities, the women’s panel did not receive any response.
In their letter, the activists had implored Rekha Sharma to take action regarding the six incidents of violence against women from the Kuki tribe, which were documented based on the testimonies of victims and survivors of physical and sexual assaults shared with the activists.