The viral video of the horrific gangrape of women, who were stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur has put the spotlight on unreported and undocumented crimes against women and children who have become weapons in the ongoing ethnic clashes between communities, that have shaken the conscience of the nation.
Rape is known to be one of the most under-reported crimes and in conflict zones of Manipur, it has triggered fear and terror as hapless victims of violence continue to live in refugee camps where basic amenities and essential supplies are far from reach, whereas hate and revenge is at the threshold in the absence of a robust state administration.
“What if the video hadn’t leaked or the women had been killed? The state is waking up very late and the heinous crimes have been growing. No eyewash must be allowed,’’ says Hoihnu Hauzel, a native of Manipur who runs a portal tracking stories of hope and strength from the Northeast.
Unfortunately, horrific tales of torture and pain have emerged since violence broke out on May 3. Hauzel’s parental home in Paite Veng colony in Imphal was one of the many houses that were burnt. Her ageing parents and nieces were driven out of their home on the night of May 3.
Mercy Vungthianmuang Guita, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in the Capital agrees that the unreported crimes are a matter of worry as women’s bodies are being weaponised in the ongoing strife where thousands of women have led the protests in the last two months. “It isn’t just 2-3 women but the worry is also the unreported, undocumented cases. The bodies of women become the battleground when conflicts go on for months and there is a collapse of law and order,’’ she said.
Guita said the situation is appalling in relief camps where food and basic supplies are not reaching, especially in far-flung areas even as the central government is pumping money-- sanctioning Rs 101 crore aid package for the displaced people. “Where are the funds? This money is going to the state administration first which is not handling the situation properly. It has to cross various levels before it reaches a district but where are they spending it?” she asked.
In the absence of accountability, law and order and a responsible local administration, barbarism, revenge killings, crimes and atrocities against women and children are gaining ground, and the viral video is only a peep into the lawlessness in Manipur.
Hauzel says more than 50000 people are internally displaced besides hundreds being killed and tortured. She is documenting the unreported cases of 7-year-old to 70-year-old women and reaching out to people to draw the attention of the administration.
She tells the story of Meena Hangsing, 45, and her son Tonsing Hangsing, 7, who were among the three burnt alive in the ambulance in the remote Iroisemba area in Imphal on May 4. The ambulance was ambushed by a crowd and the father is still waiting for the charred bodies of the victims, she says. In another horrific incident, a tribal woman married to a Meitei fell victim to a violent mob on June 6, says Hoihnu, and was brought dead to the hospital. She also talks about a 70-year-old woman being gunned down on June 12 in Khoken village as the long-simmering conflict between the Kukis and the majority Meitei boiled over.
There is concern, not just about women and children but mentally ill patients and other sections of society who are unable to protect themselves as violence simmers in the region.
