‘Deeply disturbing’: SC takes Suo motu cognizance of purported Manipur video of women being paraded naked

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud says ‘using women as an instrument in an area of communal strife to perpetuate gender violence is unacceptable’, tells govt to take action.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the “deeply disturbing” video, purportedly of two women being paraded naked by a group of men in Manipur, which went viral on social media Wednesday.

The video purportedly also showed the two being molested by a group that drags them to a field. The women were allegedly gangraped later. The incident allegedly took place on 4 May in Kangpokpi district, some 35 km from Imphal, according to a statement by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), as reported by the media. The police have, however, reportedly claimed that the incident is from another district, though the FIR was registered in Kangpokpi.

“We are very deeply disturbed about the videos distributed yesterday [Wednesday]. We are expressing our deep concern. It is time that the government steps and takes action. This is unacceptable,” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said Thursday.

He added: “Using women as an instrument in an area of communal strife to perpetuate gender violence is unacceptable.”

Ethnic clashes between Manipur’s tribal Kuki and non-tribal Meitei communities erupted on 3 May, following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ taken out to oppose the demand for inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and for what was described as an effort to secure the rights and constitutional safeguards of the ethnic Kuki and their sub-tribes. According to police data, the violence has so far claimed over 157 lives and displaced more than 50,000.

ThePrint had earlier reported how sexual violence against women was the least talked about aspect of the ongoing violence in Manipur.

‘Gross constitutional violation’

Among those who were allegedly raped during the violence were a Kuki woman in her 40s and a teenager, who were dragged to a paddy field in Kangpokpi district on 4 May and allegedly gangraped by a group of inebriated men, some of whom were as young as 15 years old.

ThePrint had earlier spoken to survivors and volunteers at relief camps to learn about at least six alleged cases of rape, including the 40-year-old and teenager from Kangpokpi, none of whom had filed police complaints at the time.

Asserting that the visuals of the viral video showed “gross constitutional violation”, the apex court Thursday directed that it must be apprised of steps taken by the government to ensure that the perpetrators are booked for such violence.

In response, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also expressed concern over the video. He added that such incidents are completely unacceptable and assured the court that the government has initiated immediate steps to bring the perpetrators to book after the video surfaced and the outcome will be placed before the court.