Guwahati: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has condemned the inaction of the Manipur police in holding the perpetrators involved in the parading of two Kuki women naked to account.
The Bar Association passed a resolution expressing its concern and condemnation over the violence witnessed in Manipur, especially referring to a video depicting two women being paraded naked and molested in broad daylight, LiveLaw reported.
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“Such incidents in Manipur which have been taking place since have not only brought suffering among the people of Manipur but also have led to the loss of several lives. The Executive Committee expresses its deep concern over the incidents which have tarnished humanitarian ethics to its core. We categorically condemn the gender-based violence and humiliation as it has far-reaching consequences on the victims’ physical and psychological well-being,” it said.
“[We] condemn the inaction of the state police in bringing the culprits to book for a long period of two months and their inability to generally tackle the debilitating violence in the State of Manipur,” the apex court body said in a statement.
The SCBA has also urged Manipur and central governments to “immediately take action to punish the perpetrators and prevent other acts of violence in the state which are still continuing”, LiveLaw reported.
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The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) also passed a resolution, condemning the sexual violence inflicted on women in Manipur.
“Our collective heads hang in shame against this grossest of human rights violation. Such incidences not only reflect the failure of the state machinery in protecting the basic human rights of the citizens but also it is (sic) the failure of the administration in controlling the riots in the state,” the Association said in a statement.
It also objected to the first information reports (FIRs) being filed against the advocates and activists who are trying to help the victims and their families.
“SCAORA also expresses its strong objection to any illegal FIRs being registered and arrests being made by the police against the advocates and activists who are endeavouring to help the riot-struck victims and families,” it said.
A video that showed two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob, with several men, apparently Meiteis, walking alongside the two women as they are led into some fields, appeared on social media earlier this week. The video shows at least some of the men groping the women.
Although the incident happened on May 4, a day after violence began in Manipur, the video emerged only recently.
After the video emerged on social media, several leaders from across the country expressed outrage over the brutality and the impunity with which the women were assaulted and their videos made.