The Monsoon Session of Parliament has been facing continuous disruptions over Manipur violence since it began on July 20th. The violent killings, rape, and destruction of properties continued to rock Parliament as monsoon session proceedings in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been paralyzed.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi has said, it was ready for a debate in both Houses with a response from the home minister, but the Opposition parties remained adamant on their demand for a statement by prime minister Modi, which will be followed by a debate without any time restriction. They sought a statement by the Prime Minister on the Manipur violence “inside the House and not outside.”
The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned each day of the Monsoon session amid protests by Opposition parties who are demanding discussion on Manipur violence and a recent horror video that came out on social media platforms. In Manipur, the viral video showed two women, stripped naked, held and groped by a mob of men, and dragged to a field.
Chilling details
As the Manipur police launched a massive manhunt to nab all the culprits, an FIR filed in the sexual assault case on June 21 detailed how an armed mob, nearly a thousand strong, had attacked a village in Kangpokpi district and allegedly torched, looted houses, killed and raped wantonly before abducting the two tribal women.
Amid growing protests against the sexual assault of the two women in Manipur, the four arrested men were remanded in 11-day police custody while the house of another suspect was set on fire by angry locals in the second such incident in connection with the case.
The incident in a village in Kangpokpi district that was captured in the 26-second video took place on May 4, a day after ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state. The footage surfaced only last week and became viral after the internet ban was lifted. The government has asked Twitter and other social media platforms to take down the video of the incident since the matter is being probed.
‘Dismiss Biren govt’
The Congress party demanded that President Droupadi Murmu exercise her powers to dismiss the N Biren Singh government in the state.
Nationwide outrage
Eminent personalities in Manipur described the incident as “barbaric, shameful and against the human race” and demanded “strictest” punishment for the culprits.
Different tribal organizations in Jharkhand organized a protest march in capital Ranchi against the violence and alleged torture of women in Manipur.
In Assam, the Congress party organized an earthen lamp lighting program at its state headquarters, in Guwahati as a show of support for the two survivors in Manipur.
In Churachandpur, braving heavy downpour, thousands of tribals raised their demand for a separate administration and stringent punishment for the perpetrators involved in the crime.
Meanwhile, an organization of former militants has asked Meiteis from Manipur to leave Mizoram for their “own safety” citing “anger among Mizo youths” over the horrific video.
PM breaks silence finally, after months of violence
“Today, when I am standing by this temple of democracy my heart is full of pain and anger,” PM Modi said in his first public comments on July 19th about the Manipur violence, which has led to the killings of hundreds and the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and the displacement of millions in the past several months.
“I want to assure the countrymen that no guilty will be spared. Law will act with its full might and firmness… What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” he told reporters ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament last week.
Hitting out at the government, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the PM had broken his silence on Manipur, but it was “too little too late.”
A warning
A bench headed by CJI Chandrachud took cognizance of the video and warned that the apex court would take action if “nothing is happening on the ground”. A man who was allegedly part of the mob and was seen dragging one of them in the video was among four persons arrested last week.
The Congress Party has said that the Modi government was rattled by the Opposition unity under ‘INDIA’ as its members are ‘marjivdas’ (living martyrs) and it was the reason why BJP is showing signs of frustration. It said that northeast is an integral part of India and any unrest there will have implications on the national security of the country.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New delhi, Congress Lok Sabha MP and party spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “Northeast is one of the most integral part of India and if something happens over there then it will have far reaching consequences on the country and have direct implications on national security.”
Hitting out at the government over the Manipur violence that has been going on since May 3, the Congress leader said that the condition in the northeastern state is very bad and the Prime Minister himself before the commencement of Monsoon Session of Parliament admitted that the incidents that had happened in Manipur makes us to feel ashamed. Tiwari asked, “Why cannot he come to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and speak there?”
