After a national outrage, two men have been arrested in connection with the horrific case of two women being paraded naked in Manipur. The women, who hail from the ethnic Kuki community, were paraded naked and later one of them was raped by a mob belonging to the Meitei community. Violence erupted in Manipur on 3 May between the valley-majority Meitei and the hill-majority Kuki tribe in Manipur over the Meiteis’ demand for scheduled tribe (ST) status. The clashes started soon after a tribal solidarity rally in the hill regions. The incident of parading two women naked took place on 4 May. But much to the shock and horror of everyone, Manipur did not arrest anyone.
In the last two days, when the video of the incident went viral, the whole nation felt outraged. From politicians to Bollywood celebrities, many have come forward on social media and expressed deep anger over the incident. The outrage has forced the Manipur government to react. Going by the report emanating from Manipur, it seems that Chief Minister N Biren Singh has failed to play his role as the leader of the state. Constant allegations of him being soft on Meitei extremists and being hand-in-glove with them have emerged. The minority Kuki tribe has suffered a lot in this conflict. The attempt of ethnic cleansing of the Kuki tribe should be protested by every right-thinking citizen. The naked parading of two Kuki women followed by gangrape of one of them has hurt the very soul of humanity. No amount of condemnation is enough for such barbarity. It is time the Meitei civil bodies introspect. Their collective silence is worrying and sickening at times.