KANGPOKPI: A wave of grief, anger, and moral outrage swept through Kangpokpi town on Wednesday as Kuki-Zo women of Sadar Hills held a sit-in protest demanding justice for victims of sexual violence in the ongoing Manipur conflict, particularly for a young rape survivor who recently succumbed to her injuries after waiting nearly three years for justice.
The protest, organized against the systemic sexual violence and killings of Kuki-Zo women, saw hundreds of women sitting in silent defiance, holding placards bearing slogans such as “No Arrests, No Justice, Catch the Perpetrators Now,” “Government Inaction Allows Impunity,” “Indian Women, Stand With Us”, etc. The demonstrators cried out for justice and appealed to the conscience of the nation, seeking solidarity from women across India.
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Addressing the gathering, Kuki Women Union, Sadar Hills president Nengboi Hmar spoke with visible anguish about the brutal targeting of Kuki-Zo women during the Manipur crisis. She highlighted the recent death of a 20-year-old Kuki-Zo woman, who was gangraped on May 15, 2023, when she was only 18, abducted, and left grievously injured.
“If the Central government cannot protect her when the crime was committed, at the very least it owes her justice,” Hmar said, breaking down as she spoke. “But even that was denied. For almost three years, she carried her pain, her trauma, and her hope for justice—until she was forced to carry it into her grave.”
She questioned the continued silence and inaction of authorities despite the registration of cases and transfer of investigations, stating that the victim died without seeing a single perpetrator brought to justice.
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The women leaders made an emotional appeal to Indian women across the country to stand in solidarity with Kuki-Zo women, asserting that the violence in Manipur is not merely a regional issue but a national moral failure.
“Today it is a Kuki-Zo woman. Tomorrow it could be any woman,” Hmar said. “This is about the safety, dignity, and humanity of women in India.”
Amid the protest, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) Women Wing formally submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India through the Deputy Commissioner of Kangpokpi, seeking immediate intervention.
In the memorandum, CoTU Women Wing detailed the systematic sexual violence, brutal killings, abductions, and extrajudicial executions of Kuki-Zo women since May 2023. It cited the case of the deceased 20-year-old survivor and noted that despite a Zero FIR and transfer of the case to the CBI, no arrests have been made to date.
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The memorandum further revealed that at least 29 Kuki-Zo women were brutally killed between May 2023 and November 2024, including young women, elderly women, and a mentally challenged woman. Forms of violence documented include rape, gang rape, mob lynching, hacking to death, burning alive, abduction, and custodial neglect.
Among the most heinous cases cited were the rape and murder of Florence Nengpichong Hangshing (27) and Olivia Lhingneithem Chongloi (23) on May 4, 2023, and the public stripping, parading, and gang rape of two Kuki-Zo women in broad daylight in Kangpokpi district—incidents that shocked the conscience of the world.
The CoTU Women Wing described the situation as a complete failure of justice delivery, stating that not a single perpetrator has been booked or prosecuted; investigations remain delayed and opaque; survivors and families have been denied dignity and rehabilitation and perpetrators continue to enjoy near-total impunity.
Calling the continued inaction a grave constitutional failure, the memorandum demanded:
1). Immediate arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators
2). Time-bound, transparent investigations under strict monitoring
3). Independent judicial oversight of all cases
4). Official recognition of these crimes as crimes against humanity
5). Adequate compensation and long-term rehabilitation for victims’ families, and
6). Protection of survivors, witnesses, and human rights defenders
The memorandum concluded with a stark warning:
“Justice delayed has now become justice denied—and justice denied has claimed lives.”
As the sit-in protest concluded, the women vowed to continue their struggle until justice is delivered, asserting that silence is no longer an option when lives, dignity, and humanity are at stake.