On Thursday, July 20, the Mahila Congress held a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after a video of women in Manipur being paraded naked went viral. The video sparked a shocked and angry response across the country. While the incident occurred in B Phainom in Kangpokpi district on May 4 and a Zero FIR was later registered, the police swung into action only after the video was shared widely on social media. This has led to many people questioning the delay in action against the accused by the Biren Singh-led BJP government in the state.
The Wire spoke to Mahila Congress president Netta D’Souza, who criticised Biren Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Smriti Irani for their alleged ‘silence’ on the conflict in Manipur.
“It took only two days to disqualify Rahul Gandhi from the parliament. But it took over 2 months for the local BJP government to arrest the accused who paraded the girl nakedly on the road,” said the Mahila Congress chief.
“When the daughter of Smriti Irani was put under question over Silly Souls Cafe & Bar, she immediately held a press conference to defend her daughter. But when another daughter of our country faced such a heinous crime, then why is she silent?” she asked.
