Imphal: Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side surfaced on social media. The video was doing the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight. According to a spokesperson of ITLF, the "despicable scene, which happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors. "The horrifying ordeal suffered by these innocent women is amplified by the perpetrators' decision to share the video, which shows the identity of the victims, on social media."


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The police are now looking into the matter. While condemning the "sickening act", the spokesperson in a statement demanded that the central and state governments, National Commission for Women and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes take cognisance of the offence and bring the culprits before the law.


The Kuki-Zo tribals are planning to raise this issue as well during a proposed protest march in Churchandpur on Thursday. Manipur state has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between the majority of the Meiteis, concentrated in Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills. Over 160 people have been killed in the violence so far.


Opposition Demands Discussion On Manipur


 


Ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the entire Opposition is all set to raise Manipur violence, railway safety, unemployment, inflation, the status of the India-China Border and trade balance between the two countries among other issues.


 



 


Some of the parties have planned to move an adjournment motion over Manipur violence among other issues on day one of the Parliament's Monsoon Session on Thursday. The Monsoon Session will be conducted till August 11 and will have 17 sittings.


Almost all the parties including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharat Rashtra Smithi (BRS), Samajwadi Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal United (JDU), Dravina Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), CPM, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) shared their plan while speaking to media followed by an all-party meeting called by the government in the Parliament premises. A total of 34 parties and 44 leaders participated in the meeting.


The Congress on Wednesday announced to raise the Manipur violence issue on day one of the Monsoon Session seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply over the matter. "Today, in the beginning (of the meeting), I kept my point. Our first issue is the violence in Manipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come and answer in Parliament over the issue. We will bring adjournment motion over the matter tomorrow," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary said after attending an all-party meeting called by the government.


Choudhary, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also said that there should be a discussion on the issue of flood and the federal structure of India. In the meeting, Choudhary said, he asked the government to allow all opposition parties to speak in the House pointing "We have not come here for tourism so want discussion in House."


AAP leader Sanjay Singh objected to bringing the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and said his party as well as other like-minded Opposition parties will oppose when the Bill will be introduced in the House for its passage.


He further stated his party will also raise Manipur violence and misuse of Central agencies among other issues. IUML leader Mohd Basheer said he registered a strong protest against Uniform Civil Code in the meeting and "I say that it is dangerous and will disturb the harmony of the country".


DMK's Tiruchi Siva also demanded that the Manipur incident should be discussed in the Monsoon Session and that PM Modi should come to the House and give his statement.