Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who remained a mute spectator over the Manipur violence for the last two months, has finally broken his silence on Thursday - July 20 as he spoke about the horror unfolded in the state where two women were paraded naked and another woman was gangraped by a mob of men. His remarks have come after the dreadful video that surfaced online had shaken the soul of the country.
Speaking ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon session of the Parliament on Thursday in New Delhi, Modi touched upon the Manipur issue and vowed that no accused will be spared. Speaking on the video where two women were paraded naked, Modi said, "I am filled with pain and the incident is shameful for any civil society. No accused will be spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this."
He said, "My heart is filled with pain and anger. The incident from Manipur that has come before us is shameful for any civilised society. I urge all the CMs to further strengthen law & order in the states - especially for the security of women and take the strongest measures. Be it any incident in Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh or Manipur or any corner of the country, rise above politics."
"I want to assure my countrymen that no culprit will be spared. What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven", Modi asserted and added, "The law will take its course with all its might." However, before Prime Minister Modi reacted to the video, several opposition leaders had already condemned the heinous crime and cited that the law and order in Manipur has got collapsed.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and wrote, "PM’s silence and inaction has led Manipur into anarchy. INDIA will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur. We stand with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way forward." It is pertinent to note that Rahul Gandhi had visited the state and met with the people who were deeply affected by the violence.
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote, "Humanity has died in Manipur. Modi Govt and the BJP has changed Democracy and the rule of law into Mobocracy by destroying the delicate social fabric of the state. Narendra Modi ji, India will never forgive your silence. If there is any conscience or an iota of shame left in your government, then you should speak about Manipur in the Parliament and tell the nation on what happened, without blaming others for your dual incompetence - both at the Centre and the State."
"You have abdicated your Constitutional responsibility. In this hour of crisis, we stand together with the people of Manipur", Kharge added. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said, "Absolutely heartbroken and appalled by the agonising violence unleashed on women in Manipur. Where is our collective conscience? The hate and venom are uprooting the very soul of humanity. We must stand united against such atrocities and work towards fostering a society of empathy and respect. The Union Government should take all necessary steps to restore peace in Manipur."
As the fury was rampant across and beyond Manipur over the video, the state police department seemed to have rolled their sleeves to arrest the culprits with Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh announcing that the main culprit behind the crime has been arrested. On Thursday - July 20, Biren Singh said, "We saw the video and I felt so bad, it's a crime against humanity. I immediately ordered the police to arrest the culprits and the state govt will try to ensure capital punishment for the accused. Every human being should condemn it. Last night at around 1.30 am, we arrested the main culprit."
For the past two months, Manipur has been witnessing clashes and violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, the two predominant ethnic groups in the state. The violence had broken out on May 3 and this shocking incident of making two women to walk naked publicly and gangraping another woman had happened on May 4 when a mob of men stormed into the village of B Phainom village in Kangpoki district and captured them.
Though the incident happened two months ago, the video was surfaced online on Wednesday - July 19 after which it had sparked a public outrage. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed on May 18 and it has revealed the horror faced by three women. It has been reported that while these women belong to the Kuki community, the accused men were Meiteis. The violence in Manipur, that was triggered by the High Court's order of granting Scheduled Tribe status to the majority Meitei community, has been startling the nation and has become one of many backlashes to the Modi regime.
According to the police data, the violence between both the communities has killed over 150 people and has displaced over 50,000 people. However, Prime Minister Modi was completely oblivious of such an unprecedented violence in an Indian soil. Despite the demands from the opposition to speak to the Manipur people and government to restore normalcy, Modi remained a mute spectator publicly for two months and now, the shocking video that emerged from Manipur has finally pushed him to break his silence.
PM Narendra Modi says, "My heart is filled with pain and anger. The incident from Manipur that has come before us is shameful for any civilised society. I urge all the CMs to further strengthen law & order in their states - especially for the security of women and take the… pic.twitter.com/SKLTtpAjuo
— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2023
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