“THIS IS A man-made problem. Now we, the women, will solve it,’’ said Hoirem Binodini Devi, co-convener of the Khwairamband Ima Keithel Joint Coordinating Committee for Peace, a powerful body of Meitei women in the Imphal valley, referring to the ethnic violence plaguing Manipur since May 3. They are hoping for a solution through a dialogue between the women of both communities―the Meiteis and the Kukis.
But, for the Kukis, who constitute 16 per cent of Manipur’s population, it is an unacceptable offer. According to Kuki women’s organisations, it is unimaginable to sit with Meitei women who, they say, perpetrated heinous crimes against them. Many Kuki women survivors say it was the Meitei women who handed them over to the male crowd, inciting them to rape and kill.
In conflicts across the world, including in Manipur, it is the women who suffer the most. According to statistics provided by the tribal communities, 27 Kuki and Zomi (another minority ethnic group) women were killed and many more were raped. Eight women were bludgeoned to death, two burnt alive, five shot dead and three lynched. The status of the remaining victims remains unspecified.
Amidst several complaints about rape and murder of women, it was a video that surfaced on July 19 that finally compelled everyone to address the atrocities against women. It shed light on the dire situation, where men, women and children were butchered mercilessly. It forced the Union government to acknowledge and confront the grave situation.
“It is an incredibly painful video, but we cannot deny that there seems to be some form of divine intervention at play. The fact that the video emerged two months after the incident has brought the heinous killings and torture endured by the tribal communities of Manipur into global spotlight,” said Ngainei Kim, president of the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights. Kim said there were many cases of rape of tribal women during the ethnic conflict. Many victims are, however, hesitant to report it for fear of reprisal and death and social taboos.
Many FIRs and zero FIRs (a first information report that can be filed at any police station, regardless of jurisdiction) have been registered in different parts of the state. Yet, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said there was only one case of sexual assault. Hundreds of zero FIRs are still being filed daily by Kukis and Meiteis who have been displaced from their land.
Unending woes: The mother of one of the rape victims speaking to the media | Salil Bera
Rape has long been used as a weapon during conflicts, and this disturbing reality is glaringly evident in Manipur. “Recognised as weapons of war, acts of sexual violence during armed conflict are intentionally designed to inflict bodily harm on primarily, but not exclusively, female victims. These acts also serve to terrify and humiliate not only the individuals targeted, but also their families and communities,” said UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality.
Sexual violence during conflicts is not a new phenomenon in Manipur. The naked protest by Imas (mothers) over the murder and alleged rape of Thangjam Manorama (2004) by the armed forces stands as a stark reminder. In the Tipaimukh area of Outer Manipur, 21 tribal women of the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar-Mizo ethnic group were subjected to mass rape in 2005-2006 by Meitei militants.
However, in a surprising twist this time, Meitei women known as Meira Paibis (torch-bearing women), have been accused of instigating rape against tribal women. Ironically, Meira Paibis have made headlines in the past for their courageous stance against drug mafias and social evils. On June 29, they confronted the police who obstructed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s peace mission. But now the Kukis accuse them of brutally targeting their women.
Ngainei Kim
Two Kuki girls, aged 19 and 20, who had stayed at a nursing institute hostel in Porompat town in Imphal, said Meira Paibis handed them over to an angry crowd after brutally beating them. They said one woman even shouted, “Why are you still keeping them alive? Rape them, cut their bodies into pieces, and burn them alive.” They recalled their assailants’ accusations that the Kukis had raped Meitei women in Churachandpur and murdered Meitei children.
Two women, aged 43 and 21, were stripped and paraded, as seen in the July 19 video. They were gang-raped by a mob of Meitei men on May 4, a day after the ethnic clashes started. Tragically, during the attack on their village in Kangpokpi district, a father and son who bravely tried to intervene were hacked to death.
THE WEEK reported the incident in its issue dated July 16, prior to the video’s leak and its rapid spread on social media. A zero FIR was filed by a family member of one of the victims on May 18 at the Saikul police station in Kangpokpi district, and a regular FIR was registered more than a month later, on June 21, at the Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district. After the video surfaced, the Manipur police started taking action, leading to the arrest of six people.
Chief Minister Biren Singh said his government would not spare anyone involved in crimes against women. The husband of one of the victims, who is a veteran of the Kargil War, said while addressing the media in Churachandpur, “I served my country, but I failed to save my wife.”
To ensure the safety of the victims, Vaiphei (a Kuki ethnic group) organisations have relocated them to an undisclosed location. “Their lives are under threat. We have placed them at a secure place, and have not disclosed the location even to our own community members,” said Lalal, president of the Vaiphei Students’ Association. The young victim, who got married after the incident, was unaware of the virality of the video because of the internet ban in the state.
“Being tribals, ours is a closed society, and our orthodox ways often keep us isolated. We were deeply concerned about how to inform these two women and their families about the video,” said S. Lianboi Vaiphei, spokesperson for the Vaiphei Students’ Association. But the compassionate response of the victim’s father-in-law, upon hearing about the video, brought tears to their eyes. “Please take care of my daughter,” he said.
Meira Paibis responded to the video by demolishing the house of the main accused, Huirem Herodas Meitei. Kuki organisations, however, accused Meira Paibis of staging a drama and said they were the actual perpetrators of the crime. Denying the allegations, Binodini Devi said the Manipuri women had always stood for human rights. “We condemn this incident. As Imas, we cannot accept any kind of crime against women, regardless of their caste, ethnicity or religion. We will be satisfied only when the culprits receive the appropriate punishment as prescribed by the law,” she said. The Imas of Nongpok Sekmai said they had rescued two women from an angry crowd who had stripped them naked and paraded them publicly.
Women of both communities are suffering because of the ethnic tension. “We, the mothers, can resolve the issue. We will sit together and sort out the problems. We will not allow politicians to intervene,” said Binodini Devi. She said many Meitei girls, too, were raped, but the outside world had not heard about it because of the internet ban.
The Kuki women, however, challenged the Meitei accusation. “We will not misbehave with any women,” said Kim. “Let them bring a single case where Meitei women have been raped by a Kuki boy. The Meitei women are strong and have even dared to do naked protests against the Army. Why would they hide if something wrong happened?”
During her visit to Manipur, Rekha Sharma, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, urged all women to come together and initiate peace talks. But it is unlikely to happen anytime soon. “We clearly informed the NCW chairperson that no Kuki woman can sit with the Meira Paibis as they are the perpetrators of the crime. Many tribal women have spoken about the involvement of the Meitei women in these crimes. They only asked for our daughters to be raped and killed,” said Kim.
Many crimes against women are cold-blooded. In a heart-wrenching incident, two girls were raped and killed at a car washing centre in Imphal. The mother of one of the victims spoke to THE WEEK at the Kuki Women Union office in Sadar Hills about her desperate attempts to reach her daughter on May 4. She called many times, but the phone just kept on ringing. After half an hour, a woman answered the phone, asking, “Do you want your daughter alive?” The call ended abruptly, and the phone remained switched off thereafter. The distraught mother said she never got any information about her daughter’s whereabouts, and did not even get the chance to see her body.
“It is evident that what has come out now is just the tip of the iceberg. Many crimes were committed against women, which may surface sooner or later,” said Kimngjou, a Kuki girl from Kangpokpi, who had worked in the development sector and had studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. “We are always treated as inferiors, and the majority community call us ‘Hao’, which means untouchable,” she said. “Rape is always a weapon against vulnerable communities.”