Manipur incident: Manipur awaits concrete intervention of PM Modi, says Meitei prof | Oneindia News
A massive protest rally surged through the streets of Manipur's Churachandpur. The fresh protests come a day after a two-month-old distressing video showing the public humiliation and abuse of two tribal women went viral. The 26-second video which went viral on Wednesday revealed the two women being paraded Naked and sexually assaulted by a mob. The video triggered widespread outrage and demands for justice. Manipur Police announced on Thursday that they have detained one of the primary suspects visible in the video. Oneindia speaks to Dr Arambam Noni who is a member of the faculty at Dhanamanjuri University, Imphal. Dr Arambam Noni is a part of the Meitei community.
#manipurprotests #manipuriviralvideo #manipurincident #manipurviolence #manipurwomanparadedvideo #manipurnews #manipurlatestnews #oneindianews #oneindiaenglish
~HT.99~ED.100~PR.151~
#manipurprotests #manipuriviralvideo #manipurincident #manipurviolence #manipurwomanparadedvideo #manipurnews #manipurlatestnews #oneindianews #oneindiaenglish
~HT.99~ED.100~PR.151~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 The video of two women belonging to the Kukizomi community who were paraded naked by a mob
00:04 of men has gone viral.
00:07 What is your reaction to it?
00:08 It is highly saddening and condemnable to hear that such things have happened.
00:18 It's understandable that every right-thinking person would never endorse these kind of incident.
00:25 Videos from both the communities have emerged online where countless corpses were seen lying
00:30 by the side of the roads.
00:31 Where do you think the authorities have gone wrong in tackling the situation in Manipur?
00:36 You have rightly pointed out, things have happened, these kind of unwanted things, mutilation
00:42 of bodies and killing of women and children.
00:47 It has happened on both sides.
00:50 And this is something that the people of Manipur never wanted because they have been coexisting
00:56 for years and centuries.
01:00 Having said this, I think the problem lies in the fact that the government of India,
01:06 I think perhaps, did not pay enough attention to the issues that were emerging in Manipur,
01:13 particularly in the context of demographic imbalance, the issue of poppy cultivation
01:20 and the violation of suspension of Operation Rule 2011 by the Kuki armed groups who are
01:27 in peace talks with the government of India.
01:31 Had these issues been addressed timely, I think the proliferation of violence in the
01:39 state of Manipur would have been preempted timely.
01:42 That's what I feel.
01:44 Sexual violence and assault against women as an instrument to winning conflicts, the
01:49 entire incident that has unfolded right before our eyes.
01:53 Any opinion regarding that?
01:55 I think this is a very sensitive matter, but I would not, as of now, go with the argument
02:00 that there is a systematic use of women and their body as a part of politics here.
02:08 I think that would be slightly, I'm sure this is an exaggeration, but I would rather say
02:14 that the reality that we are seeing is a very unfortunate, unwanted spectacle, which is
02:24 a manifestation of the deeper problems that we in the Northeast India or in Manipur, particularly
02:32 states having international borders, which is largely poorest, where there's a possibility
02:39 of external forces getting into your society and politics.
02:44 I think these have all made the situation very volatile, very fragile, and the inter-ethnic
02:51 harmony has been hampered largely because of the unattended issues that we live with
02:58 for so many years.
03:00 I was just reading about the role of Kuki women in the Anglo-Kuki war in 1918 to 1919,
03:07 and the women were an integral part of the conflict.
03:10 They were responsible for crucial tasks in the war.
03:13 And yet more than a century later, we see two women being disrespected to this extent.
03:18 So do you think that this incident has set India back at large as a country?
03:23 Amrita, you're again raising a very sensitive issue.
03:26 You have used the word, the concept of war.
03:29 I think historians have, I have read Kuki historians writing in the 90s and even in
03:37 the 70s that this was more of a rebellion.
03:42 And due to the, you know, what do you say, proliferation of ethnic equations in Manipur,
03:48 I think later we can see historians trying to reclaim that incident as war between Kuki's
03:58 and the British.
03:59 Mind you, like, we have to read the incident with a proper perspective before we jump in
04:08 to say that that was war.
04:11 But I think theoretically and legally speaking, war is normally fought between two entities.
04:17 When I say entities, I mean two states, right?
04:22 So therefore, I think there are enough debates on the war, the event of 1857.
04:33 And historians have been flatly divided on this.
04:36 So therefore, I appeal to you that, you know, we have to be a little more careful when we
04:41 are using these terms.
04:43 So I have a feeling that of course, the history of Manipur is deeply related with high participation
04:51 of women in politics and society.
04:53 They're very, very outspoken.
04:55 They're very, very active in public sphere.
04:58 So therefore, you have had incidents like, you know, the Anglo-Manipur War, 1891.
05:04 You have had 1904, 1904, Nupilan.
05:08 We have had 1939, again, Nupilan, which is like a women's uprising.
05:13 So I think we have had enough incidents in history where women from all the communities
05:20 have taken their share of role.
05:22 And there's no denying the fact.
05:24 But however, I have a feeling that we should be a little more careful in, what is fair,
05:30 recollecting historical incidents.
05:34 And I think I appeal, and I think we all must be slightly, you know, sensitive because it's
05:39 very, very, there are denouncements coming up on the very idea of using the concept of
05:45 war that you talked about.
05:47 So I think, because these narratives are also, in many senses, you know, we can be constructed
05:56 to suit the contemporary political interests and contemporary political objectives.
06:02 The Prime Minister and even the Chief Minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, they have issued
06:07 statements after the incident unfolded, or rather the video went viral.
06:11 The incident took place on May 4th, right after the onset of the clashes in the state,
06:18 on May 3rd.
06:19 The incident took place, reportedly took place on May 4th.
06:21 And the first FIR that was registered, it was on May 18th.
06:25 And yet the Prime Minister has issued a statement today.
06:29 So what is your opinion around their statements?
06:32 Honestly speaking, I can give to the availability of internet connection.
06:37 I have not seen the video, honestly speaking.
06:41 But I have read in the newspaper, I've heard the PM speaking on radio, and I've also heard
06:48 the Chief Minister speaking through media channels.
06:53 I think the Chief Minister of Manipur has made it very clear that he is completely in
06:59 favour of punishing those involved culprits, right?
07:03 Right.
07:04 So that's a very encouraging statement coming from him.
07:08 However, I've talked to a couple of people, I've talked to made-up IDs in Manipur now,
07:14 and they are very adamant.
07:16 They are very surprised that the PM has broken his silence very late.
07:28 And it is of the opinion that the people should, the PM of the country should have spoken and
07:35 intervened much earlier, as you also rightly pointed out in your question.
07:41 So I think the people of Manipur, particularly in the valley, they are very anguished over
07:49 this late reaction of the PM.
07:54 And I think there's a reason for this, that while you are condemning an incident, people
08:02 were expecting also the Honourable Prime Minister of India to intervene in real political concrete
08:11 terms, which still hasn't come.
08:15 So I think from now onwards, I'm sure that there will be a lot more statements to this
08:24 as a part of a resentment, reflecting the resentment of the common people here, because
08:30 the kind of violence that you are talking, we are talking, we have never thought of these
08:36 violence will emerge, because we were thinking that, you know, that the possibility of violence
08:42 to that, to this kind of scale was almost impossible, having seen the kind of coexistence
08:48 that I talked about.
08:49 And you must be knowing the fact that, you know, that the Gookis were part of the first
08:54 government we have had in 1947, the Nagas were part of it, the Muslims, the Meghi Pongas
08:59 were part of it.
09:00 So we have a long history of living together.
09:03 But off-lit, I think there are different difficult questions coming up, which I say, in terms
09:10 of demography questions, in terms of narco-economy, proliferation in the state.
09:15 So to be very precise, I think the PM should also now intervene and to live up to the expectation
09:25 of people, because the people of Manipur want their age-old state to be protected.
09:32 And they are of the view that they deserve to be protected, because they have a long
09:37 history of being an Asiatic power.
09:40 Do you see any resolution or an end to this conflict in the near future?
09:45 I think the people of Manipur, particularly the Mela Paigis and human rights groups, have
09:49 been very, very powerful and they have had, addressed these kind of situations before.
09:58 And there are established records where the Meghi people have played a very, very significant
10:04 peace-builders role in the past, when the Kukis and the Nagas were fighting in the '90s.
10:12 And the Meghis played a very positive role to bring peace into society in the state of
10:16 Manipur.
10:17 I'm sure, I'm sure these violence will also end very soon.
10:22 And I'm sure the communities will move forward and fall back to their glorious living-together
10:30 past.
10:31 And I'm sure that the spirit of coexistence and dialogue, and democratic dialogue, and
10:39 locating oneself beyond an exclusive ethnic narrativization will perhaps stop at some
10:47 point.
10:48 And that perhaps will be the ground for meeting and negotiation and living together again.
10:54 Thank you so much for your time today.
10:56 My appreciation for you and for your team.
10:59 Thank you so much.