Editorial: The indelible scar

The political leadership ought to realise that actions speak louder than words and it’s time they rose above petty politics in Manipur

The egregious video of two women being paraded naked and molested in Manipur indeed leaves an indelible scar on society’s collective psyche. The gangrape of one of them in full public view and the reported killing of her father before the abominable act add a gruesome twist to the ongoing strife between two tribes over the issue of grant of Scheduled Tribe status to the majority Meitei. Undoubtedly, the Manipur High Court had set in motion a protracted conflict between the Meiteis and Kuki tribes, and now the Naga tribes in Manipur too are getting drawn into the vortex of violence. The horrific disrobing, molestation, rape and murder occurred just a day after violence broke out in the northeast State on May 3. Media reports indicate that heavily armed majority tribals raided a Kuki village, set fire and looted houses. The villagers fled and were rescued by police, but later seized by the armed marauders who shot dead the woman’s father and then indulged in the abominable act. A police complaint was lodged, but, for inexplicable reasons, no action was taken. Only after the video surfaced on social media, nearly 78 days later, did the Manipur police act and said arrests were made. More deafening was the silence of Chief Minister Biren Singh, not only on rape but also on the Manipur strife. He mustered the courage to speak only after the platitudinal statement made by the Prime Minister ahead of the Parliament session. Interestingly, the BJP’s shouting brigade of ministers, who are wont to pounce on their political rivals on insubstantial issues, maintained a sepulchral silence. Just one of them, Smriti Irani, found a voice to condemn the incident, and again only after the PM broke his enigmatic silence.

Thanks to the government’s ineptitude, the armed skirmishes have assumed alarming proportions, with over 150 reportedly killed and thousands displaced. And now the most heinous war tactic, that of the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence to punish ethnic, political or cultural rivals, to maintain or assert control, is being resorted to. The instant case is a deliberate war tactic, resorted to purposefully. It is not employed by some individuals when the opportunity arose for them. And what makes it worse is that such a tactic is tolerated by leaders whose lips were sealed, till the infamous video surfaced on social media. Strangely, the Centre is mulling to impose curbs on social media after the videos went viral. The Supreme Court has succinctly put the entire issue in the right perspective when it said, “Using women as an instrument in perpetrating violence in a charged atmosphere is simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy”. Before the situation degenerates into uncontrollable violence, the government must act firmly and arrest the culprits and ensure speedy justice is meted out. More importantly, it must not only initiate steps to prevent such instances with resolute military actions against the marauders but also put in place mechanisms to help the victims access healthcare and psychological resources. The political leadership ought to realise that actions speak louder than words. It’s now time to prove that they can rise above petty political considerations and act for the welfare and protection of people.

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