Even as the viral video of the May 4 incident of two naked women being paraded and later reportedly gang raped in Manipur has sparked a nationwide outrage, the state Chief Minister N Biren Singh fuelled fresh controversy with his remark, “Hundreds of such cases similar to the incident have took place. Hence, we had invoked a ban on the internet in our state.”
The statement came when Singh was asked in a telephonic interview about how his government was unaware of the incident where women were shamelessly paraded naked by a group of men in his state. Later he added in the interview, “Only one case has surfaced. Yet I condemn it, it is a crime against humanity. We have nabbed one culprit in the case and efforts are made to bring all the accused to justice.”
However, CM Singh’s bizarre statement has invited widespread criticism, with social media users claiming it shows numerous such cases were probably known to the administration but were not known to the public as the victim’s voices were oppressed due to the internet ban.
Singh also said through a tweet that a thorough investigation was underway into the incident and strict action, including possible capital punishment, would follow. He also said there was absolutely no place for such heinous acts in society.
“My hearts go out to the two women who were subjected to a deeply disrespectful and inhumane act, as shown in the distressing video that surfaced yesterday. After taking a suo motu cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning,” he tweeted.
Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side.
Also Read: “Police Were Present But Didn’t Help Us”: Manipur Horror Video Victims Reveal
