Monitoring Desk
MANIPUR: India’s BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Twitter and other social media platforms to pull down the video of the two Manipur women paraded naked as the matter is under investigation, news agency ANI reported.
The social media platforms operating in India should abide by the Indian laws and the matter is under investigation, the government is believed to have communicated to the social media platforms after the video from the BJP-ruled Manipur went viral shaking the collective consciousness of the country.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Sachin Pilot, Shiv Sena (Udhhav) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamool leaders Mahua Moitra, Saket Gokhale strongly condemned the video seeking PM Modi’s statement on Manipur which has been witnessing violence since May 3.
As the government took steps to control the social media platforms where the video went viral, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi commended that it only showed the desperation of the government and its inability to contain violence and fake news.
On May 4, the days after the Kuki-Meitei clash started in Manipur, the Kuki women were stripped off and then paraded naked. They were told if they don’t take their clothes off, they will be killed. The video of two women walking naked surfaced on Wednesday — over 2.5 months after the incident took place.
Police said a complaint was registered a month ago against unknown miscreants and the investigation is underway. No arrests have been made in the case. The two women seen in the video were gangraped and then killed.
According to some reports, the Kuki women were assaulted after fake news spread that a Meitei woman was gangraped, though no such incident took place.
Ahead of the Monsoon session in Parliament which will be dominated by Manipur issue, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked whether PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah who went to Manipur were not aware of the incident. “The rest of India had little clue that such a horrific incident occurred due to the ongoing internet ban in Manipur. But it’s absolutely inexcusable that the Women and Child Development Minister waited for 76 days to speak to the CM of Manipur or even issue a statement,” Jairam Ramesh said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted. “Women and children have to bear the maximum brunt of violence in the society. Don’t such pictured and violent incidents not disturb the central government, PM Modi?” Priyanka Gandhi tweeted.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to PM Modi to pay attention to the situation in Manipur. “This kind of heinous act cannot be tolerated in the Indian society…Please take strict action against the culprits seen in the videos of the incident. There should be no place for people of such criminal nature in India,” Kejriwal tweeted.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to PM Modi to pay attention to the situation in Manipur. “This kind of heinous act cannot be tolerated in the Indian society…Please take strict action against the culprits seen in the videos of the incident. There should be no place for people of such criminal nature in India,” Kejriwal tweeted.
Questioning the silence of the women and child development minister for so long, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said two months are too late for a reaction. “Stop it Mantriji, your obnoxious silence on the women wrestlers too makes it clear your intent is to only save a seat in the cabinet. Shameless charade,” the UBT Sena MP wrote.
Bollywood ‘shaken’
Some Bollywood actors also waded into the online protests, as they demanded harshest punishment for the culprits.
Actors Akshay Kumar, Richa Chada, and Renuka Sahane were among the first celebrities to express concern over the state of lawlessness in Manipur.
Akshya Kumar took to Twitter to demand justice for the victims and wrote, “Shaken, disgusted to see the video of violence against women in Manipur. I hope the culprits get such a harsh punishment that no one ever thinks of doing a horrifying thing like this again.”
Meanwhile, Richa Chada quote Tweeted another post about the video and echoed similar sentiments. “Shameful! Horrific! Lawless!” she wrote.
Urmila Matondkar questions ‘deafeaning silence’
Urmila Matondkar strongly reacted and said, “Shocked, shaken, horrified at Manipur video and the fact that it’s happened in May with no action on it. Shame on those sitting on their high horses drunk with power, jokers in media boot licking them, celebrities who are silent. When did we reach here dear Bharatiyas/Indians?”
Renuka Shahane points to government’s failure
Actress Renuka Shahane pointed to the government’s failure to control the violence and questioned if there is no one to stop the atrocities in Manipur. “Is there no one to stop the atrocities in Manipur? If you are not shaken to the core by that disturbing video of two women, is it even right to call oneself human, let alone Bharatiya or Indian!”
Comedian Vir Das also tweeted saying, “Asking for a friend. How many conclaves and summits do the people of Manipur need to sponsor before the mainstream media will cover them on prime time?”
