Imphal, August 11: Mass protests by Meitei/Meetei women was organised across the 6 valley districts in Manipur on Friday against the alleged gangrape of a Meitei women in Churachandpur on May 3 by Kuki miscreants demanding immediate punishment of the culprits and handing of the case to CBI. The mass protest demanded impartiality while dealing with sexual cases against women in the ethnic violence including that of the viral video involving two Kuki-Zo victims who were paraded naked.
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Maira Paibis organised the mass protest in Bishnupur, Kakching, Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal districts.
According to Newmai News Network, the protesters demanded that like in the earlier case related with the alleged sexual assault on two women after being paraded naked in Kangpokpi district, the alleged gang-raped case in Churachandpur must be handed over to the CBI.
News of the alleged gang-rape incident in Churachandpur came into the fore in crisis-hit Manipur when a 37-year-old woman lodged a complaint to the police alleging that she was gang-raped by “Kuki men”, while she was fleeing after her house was burnt down by a mob in the evening of May 3 last.
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When she was fleeing after her house along with others were torched in Churachandpur, a group of men caught hold of her, while her sister-in-law kept running with her sons, and a niece, and sexually assaulted her on May 3, around 6.30 pm., the complainant said.
Based on the complaint lodged by the woman who is currently taking refuge at a relief camp, Bishnupur police station registered a zero FIR case on August 9 and conducted necessary medical examinations.
The case has been transferred to Churachandpur police station where a regular FIR was registered for investigation.
Denouncing the “heinous crime”, women based local organisations across the valley districts today staged protests in their respective localities and villages, demanding arrest of the “rapists” and award befitting punishments.
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“Give public execution punishment to those Kukis who involved in gangrape case,” read one of the banners displayed by the protesters at Khwairamband Keithel in Imphal.
Women vendors of all-women-run iconic markets in Imphal participated in the protest.
Another banner at the same protest site read “Mothers will give capital punishment if women’s modesty is challenged openly”.
The protesters said that when a viral video of two Kuki women being paraded naked on May 4 had made headlines putting the entire nation and Manipur to shame, this FIR of the incident of May 3 has again put Manipur on the spotlight for the wrong reason.
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“The government should deal with the case with an iron hand and arrest the culprits at the earliest and award befitting punishment for the end of justice,” a protestor demanded.
“We vehemently condemn the gang-rape of the woman by miscreants in Churachandpur. We demand the arrest of the culprits,” a leader of women vendors told reporters.
She asked the reason why the ministers and MLAs including the chief minister, who had even taken part in the protest against the incident where two women were paraded naked when the video of the incident went viral on social media, remained silent this time. “Where had the Prime Minister who strongly reacted to the earlier case with emotion gone?” she asked.
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