Imphal: Women of Manipur staged sit-in protests on Friday against the alleged gangrape of a woman at Churachandpur during the “Tribal Solidarity March” on May 3 last.
A 37 – year old woman was allegedly gang-raped, houses burnt and people were killed at Churachandpur. This was followed by a backlash from another ethnic group the next day. The Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba, Manipur and All Manipur Women Voluntary Association and other women bodies have demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
The protesting women shouted slogans denouncing the rape. Protestors also voiced their concern over revealing the ethnic group of some victims while hiding the name of the ethnic group when the victim belonged to a particular community by the media.
All Manipur Women Voluntary Association president Y Kunjarani, Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba, and Manipur president Longjam Memchoubi said women were subjected to various forms of crimes by people from other ethnic group.
An 80-year-old woman was burnt alive and many were still missing, yet the Prime Minister spoke only on a viral video, the protestors said. Many women were hiding the crimes committed against them due to fear of society, they added. There were attempts to kidnap three children, including a girl, all between 8 to 13 years on Thursday at Samurou, Imphal West, protestors at Samurou alleged.
The women demanded that the attacks on common people, killing of innocents, and harassment of women should immediately be stopped. Markets were closed following the protest.
