Video Producer: Zijah Sherwani
Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
"The video only got leaked yesterday [19 July]. You must understand the ground reality. There are hundreds of such cases happening here. That is why the internet is banned in the state."N Biren Singh, Manipur CM
Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, recently admitted on national television that the incident of three Kuki women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a Meitei mob on 4 May was not an isolated one.
His statement about the 'epidemic of rapes' in Manipur, which have been allowed to happen under his watch, raises several uncomfortable questions that no one – not him and not even the central government – is willing to answer.
So today, The Quint is posing these questions before you.
1. Manipuri Women Have Been Speaking Up: Why Was No One Listening?
Several Manipuri student organisations and journalists have been documenting incidents of rape and sexual assault of women in the conflict-torn state.
A zero First Information Report (FIR) was filed in this particular case, too, on 18 May against "900-1,000 unknown miscreants." But it wasn't until after a month, on 21 June, that the FIR was transferred to the police station concerned.
If the police were in the know, if the government was in the know, why was nothing done?
2. Who Will Ensure Justice for Other Survivors?
If this incident – of such brutal nature – could be buried for over 75 days, and if there are 'hundreds of rapes', as per the Chief Minister's own admission, then how many such FIRs are gathering dust in police stations across Manipur ?
Will those victims ever get justice? Who is going to ensure that?
3. Are Women's Bodies Mere 'Spoils of War'?
A Kuki woman from Manipur's Churachandpur, who The Quint spoke to at a relief camp, said that she was allegedly raped by a group of Meitei men "because your men did the same to our women."
A similar claim was made by the same mob that attacked the three Kuki women.
"In Lamka area, your people raped my people, therefore, we are going to do the same to you people," a woman who witnessed the attack was told by the Meitei mob.
'Revenge rapes' instigated by fake news, rumour-mongering, and hearsay became a means to justify a brutal crime against women and to simply prove a point.
Don't think about protecting women because they are someone's daughter, mother, or sister. Women have fundamental rights, too!
4. Why Did It Take a Viral Video for Authorities To 'Swing to Action'?
On 20 July, a day after the viral video surfaced, Chief Minister Biren Singh took to Twitter to say:
"After taking a suo-moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning. A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. [sic]"
What's striking here is the word 'suo moto', which means the police did not wait for a formal complaint to start a probe. In other words, the complaint filed over two months ago had no meaning.
To reiterate: If the police were in the know, if the government was in the know, why was nothing done?
5. Where Does the Buck Stop?
"I request all chief ministers to strengthen law and order in their states. Particularly for the protection of our mothers and sisters, they should take the harshest actions, no matter where the incident occurs, whether in Rajasthan, or Chhattisgarh, or Manipur."Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The viral video may have managed to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 78-day silence on the Manipur violence. But one wonders whether he was addressing the crime or the outrage.
Moreover, can anyone really put this humanitarian crisis to an end by making it an election prop – and using whataboutery?
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)