Humiliation of two Kuki women in India is unforgivable

We are extremely shocked to know that in the Indian State of Manipur, a person allegedly drag two tribal women onto the streets and later incited a mob to rape and parade them naked. The incident took place on May 4, 2023 but as the video went viral a few days ago.

Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, hitherto kept mum on the incident; but as the incident created a commotion all over India, he was rather forced to appear before the nation, called the sexual assault ‘shameful’ and promised to punish the culprit involved in humiliating the two women.

Following this, women in Manipur attacked the house of the main suspect in a sexual assault case that has enraged the whole nation. The women, the rights groups as well as the saner section of people in India have rightly questioned the status and safety of women in India.

After BJP came to power, India has been sharply divided on religious as well as ethnic lines, and the ruling BJP government deliberately did it to earn political mileage in religiously sensitive India.

However, the sexual assault was reported by the victims in May after ethnic clashes began in Manipur. The fighting was triggered by a court order that the government should consider extending special benefits enjoyed by the tribal Kuki people to the majority Meitei population as well. Since the violence erupted, at least 125 people were killed and more than 40,000 fled their homes.

Regarding the rape incident, it has been rightly asked by Indians now as to why police failed to take swift action when they knew that women were raped and paraded naked in Manipur, a state governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The rights groups often allege that the BJP government gives cover to Hindu nationalists who perpetrate atrocities on the religious minorities and ethnic groups and advance the party’s ultra-nationalistic political agenda which has torn the Indian society in recent years. If this vicious trend is not checked, it can damage the Indian nation beyond reparation.