PM Modi Condemns Disturbing Manipur Women Video; Parliament to Discuss Situation

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday broke his silence on the Manipur situation and expressed his deep anguish over the shocking video from Manipur which had gone viral, drawing condemnation from people all across the country.

He condemned the video of the disturbing incident in the strongest terms, while reassuring the nation that those responsible for such heinous acts would be made to face the full force of the law.

"The video showing atrocity against women in Manipur is the most shameful. I’m pained and angered about the incident and I assure people of the country that guilty will not be spared and subjected to severest punishment," PM Modi said.

In his address to media ahead of start of the Monsoon session of Parliament, PM Modi said that the Manipur incident has become a source of shame for the entire humanity and that the 140 crore people of the country are feeling shamed.

“Be it Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan or Manipur, dignity of women and girls is paramount and must of protected and I request chief ministers of all states to take strongest possible action against criminals involved in atrocity against women," he added.

The video, which had surfaced online on Wednesday, shows two women from the Kuki community, one of the warring communities in Manipur, being forced to strip and then paraded naked by some men from the Meitei side.

The video, which has by now been widely circulated, purportedly also shows men constantly molesting the two naked women. According to office- bearers of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, the incident on the video happened in Kangpokpi district on May 4, a day after the clashes started in the trouble- torn northeastern state on May 3.

The women were allegedly gang-raped later. The Manipur police said an investigation is going on and that one person has been arrested, even as the others remained to be identified and brought to justice.

Ahead of the Monsoon session, several opposition MPs have given notices demanding discussions in Parliament over the situation in Manipur. The demand arose after a fresh controversy was stoked by the recently-surfaced video of two women being paraded naked in the violence- hit state, which was then widely circulated.

In reply, the Centre stated that it is ready for a discussion on the Manipur situation. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi expressed the willingness of the government to discuss all matters in parliament, including the 2-month old violence in Manipur, in which more than 80 people are reported to have died.

Meanwhile, Twitter and other social media platforms were urged by the Centre to pull down the video of the two Manipur women being paraded naked, as it said the matter is under investigation.

Monsoon session of Parliament began today amid outrage expressed over the situation in Manipur. An adjournment motion has been moved by fifteen opposition MPs, asking that the parliament session be suspended for all business to discuss the ongoing violence in Manipur.

Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence since May 3, following a rally in which the Kuki and Naga communities protested against the Manipur High Court's order asking the state government to consider giving Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to the Meitei community.

Also Read: Manipur: Displaced Students Allowed to Enroll in Any Educational Institution Without Migration Document

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