Chief minister N Biren Singh Thursday condemned the abhorrent treatment of two Kuki tribe women, who were paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob in strife-torn Manipur, and termed it as a crime against humanity.
Singh expressed deep sadness over the incident and remarked that those responsible for such an atrocity cannot be considered humans, as such acts are unimaginable for any civilised human being to commit.
He said the main culprit in the incident was arrested around 1.30 am last night. “.this is a crime against humanity.cannot be commit by any human being..we immediately took cognisance of the matter and made efforts to catch the culprits at earliest.,” he said, while speaking to news agency ANI. (LIVE updates)
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“Mass combing operation has started in the suspected areas, and the cyber crime has also been asked to verify the authenticity of the video,” ANI quoted him as saying.
When asked about the comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on the incident earlier in the day, Singh said, “…anyone who is a human must unequivocally condemn this incident.”
Massive outrage on social media
The vile video of the incident, which happened two months ago, sparked massive public outrage on social media on Wednesday night. People called for stringent actions against the culprits and the restoration of peace in the northeastern state, bearing the brunt of ethnic clashes between the Kukis and the Meitei community since May 3.
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Soon after the video was widely shared across social media platforms, Manipur police issued a response on Twitter and said a case was filed in the matter last month. Police said a case of abduction, gang rape, and murder has been registered against unknown armed miscreants. Union Minister Smriti Irani also tweeted later and said she has spoken to the Manipur CM, and an investigation into the matter was underway.
Since the video surfaced, the Opposition parties have been relentlessly attacking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power, both at the Centre and at the state level, and demanded that PM Modi speak on the crisis and some sort of accountability be established.
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Manipur situation to dominate monsoon session
The 26 like-minded Opposition parties’ alliance – I.N.D.I.A or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, also remained adamant in seeking a statement from PM Modi on the issue in the Parliament’s monsoon session, which began today. However, the BJP stated that the government was ready for a discussion on the situation in Manipur but termed the opposition’s demand for a statement a “caveat for disruption.”
Meanwhile, PM Modi, during his pre-session address in the Parliament complex, said his heart was filled with pain and anger and appealed to all chief ministers to strengthen laws to take stringent action against crime, especially against women.
Supreme Court takes cognisance
The Supreme Court also said it was “deeply disturbed” by the video and asked the Centre and the State to appraise the step taken on the issue. A bench of CJI Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra said it was “simply unacceptable,” and using women as an instrument in violence is unacceptable.
The ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU). The rally was held in protest by Kukis against the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.
Source: Hindustan Times
