‘Shocked and horrified’: Biden administration condemns video of women being stripped, molested in Manipur

A senior Biden administration official on Wednesday said that the US is “shocked and horrified” by the video of an extreme attack on two women in Manipur. The official added that the US supports the Indian Government’s efforts to seek justice for the women. A video showing two women being stripped and paraded naked and molested by a group of men in May this year in Kangpokpi district surfaced on July 19

"We were shocked and horrified by the video of this extreme attack on two women in Manipur. We convey our profound sympathies to the survivors of this act of gender-based violence and support the Indian Government’s efforts to seek justice for them,” Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.

Patel added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said such violence against women is shameful in any civilized country. He further said that the Biden administration encourages a peaceful resolution to the violence that has rocked Manipur.

Last week, Modi expressed pain and anger over the incident in his first public comment on the Manipur situation. The Prime Minister said the incident has shamed 140 crore Indians and asserted the guilty will not be spared.

Over 160 people have died whereas several people have been injured so far ever since violence broke between the Meiteis and Kukis in May this year, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for scheduled tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has accepted the no-confidence motion by Opposition parties against the Centre. The notice was brought to the House by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi against the Centre on the Manipur issue.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday held a protest at Jantar Mantar over Manipur issue as well as abuse that women are being subjected to in the state. The protestors also took part in a candlelight vigil.

The development comes a day after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed the N Biren Singh-led Manipur government to ensure no further violence takes place in the northeastern state. The human rights body also asked the state government to apprise it about the relief and rehabilitation of the victims affected by the violence.

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