Women's organisations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh protested on Friday, July 21, against the attitude of the Union government in response to the horrifying video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob of men in Manipur. In Hyderabad, a demonstration was held by civil society groups near Ambedkar Statue at Tank Band. Activists from the Progressive Organisation of Women (POW), Bhumika Women’s Collective, and youth organisations Naujawan Bharat Sabha, and Disha Student Organisation joined the protest. In Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam, activists from POW, Akhila Bharatha Prajatantra Mahila Sngham (AIDWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Human Rights Forum, Mahila Chetana and others also voiced their outrage.
Speaking to the media, activist Sandhya Rani said, “A genocide is happening in Manipur for the past three months. Meitei people are chasing and assaulting the Kuki tribes. The Modi government has remained mute until two months after the incident and the Prime Minister spoke only after the video went viral. The government should be accountable for the violence.”
“Could the government not have known what was happening? Why did the Union Home Ministry not care or respond? We demand the arrest of the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” said Bhumika Women’s Collective head K Satyavati.
The activists raised slogans demanding the Union government immediately take action to stop the violence in Manipur. They urged the government to take responsibility for the ongoing protest and demanded the resignation of the Manipur Chief Minister, Biren Singh.
In a video which emerged on social media on Wednesday, July 29, a violent mob comprising of members from the Meitei community in Manipur forced three Kuki women aged 21, 42 and 52 to remove their clothes. The 21-year-old woman was gang raped, while the remaining two were molested.
When asked about the incident, Manipur CM Biren Singh said on Thursday, July 20, that there were hundreds of similar cases and “violence was going on daily.” As the video went viral, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognisance and summoned the Attorney General and Solicitor General of India. Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud said the court was deeply disturbed over the video. “Using women as an instrument in an area of communal strife to perpetuate gender violence is unacceptable,” the court said.