Women’s Commission Ignored Manipur ‘Naked Parade’ Complaint for Over a Month: Report

New Delhi: If reports in the media are to be believed, the National Commission for Women (NCW) allegedly failed to act promptly on a complaint filed on June 12 regarding the heinous incident of women being paraded naked in Manipur.

The situation escalated when a video surfaced on July 19, showing two Kuki women being forced to march naked by a group of men, with one of them allegedly gang-raped in a paddy field. Shockingly, there was no action taken for over 70 days. However, following public outrage, four men have been arrested, including the main accused, Heradas, whose house was burnt down by angry protesters.

Activists and the North American Manipur Tribal Association had reached out to the NCW on behalf of the survivors, seeking intervention and condemnation of the sexual violence against Kuki-Zomi tribal women by Meitei vigilantes amidst the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur.

The Aam Aadmi Party has demanded the removal of NCW chief, Rekha Sharma, accusing her of neglecting the complaint, which was filed days before the viral video emerged.

The situation in Manipur remains dire, with over 150 lives lost and several injured in the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3 during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in protest of the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

The delayed response from the NCW has sparked outrage, and authorities are under increasing pressure to address and take action against the perpetrators of this horrific incident.