Even as the Manipur police hastily arrested the main accused and three others two months after the barbaric incident, when a mob of about 1,000 paraded two Kuki women naked before gang-raping them, the entire nation boiled over with anger. Every Indian hangs his head in shame. There is a demand to publicly hang the culprits. Expressing grief, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that this heinous incident has brought shame to the entire nation. “What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” he said. Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, “We were deeply disturbed by the video that has emerged which depicts a parade of two women…women are being used as an instrument to spread violence in a conflict zone.” Sexual violence is totally unacceptable. Both Center and State should act, otherwise we will pass orders.” I watched the video with a feeling of sadness, anger and sadness. This incident has shaken my soul and brought tears to my eyes. No one can imagine that such a horrific incident can happen in a country like India. The government has promised to act, while the opposition has stalled parliament on Thursday and Friday. The incident of May 4 in Manipur has put humanity to shame. The state police slept for 78 days. One of the women parading naked is a retired Kargil veteran, wife of an army subedar. Take a look at the sequence of events: On May 4, the gruesome parade of naked women and the gang-rape happened, 14 days later, on May 18, a police complaint was filed, and on June 21, 48 days after the incident, the police filed an FIR. Despite this, the culprits were not arrested. This incident would not have come to the notice of the country, if it was not for the video taken on the day of the horrific act. Since internet was down in Manipur, the video could not be posted. And on Wednesday evening, when the video circulated on social media, an uproar broke out. It was only when the Prime Minister publicly condemned the incident that the state police swung into action and promptly arrested the main culprit, Huirem Herodas Singh, 32, of Thoubal district. I think Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh is lying when he says that he was not aware of the incident. He is saying this to save his chair. He claims that he is in talks with both Meitei and Kuki community leaders and meeting displaced people in refugee camps to help them return home. I believe that the horrific incident that took place in Manipur is inhuman and should not be made a subject of political attacks and counter-attacks. There are many other issues to attack politically, but the horrific incident in Manipur raises questions about the helplessness of our entire system. Had this incident not been recorded on the mobile phone, the black truth would have remained buried in the pages of history. Had the internet not been suspended in Manipur, the incident would have become public two months back. Police would have failed to suppress this incident and criminals would have been caught two months back. Had the Chief Minister not been busy tearing up his resignation letter dramatically in front of the crowd, the culprits would have been behind bars two months earlier. It does not matter whether the embarrassing incident happened two months ago or not. The faces of the culprits are clearly visible in the video. The whole country feels that such punishment should be given to these culprits so that fear can be instilled in the minds of such criminals. The fear should be so much that the criminals should not have the courage to do such heinous act. I want to say one more thing. It would be better not to be compelled to act under the parameters of the Criminal Procedure Code. Since the Supreme Court has taken it seriously, can the apex court go out of its purview and punish the culprits? Crime happened in front of camera, criminals are in front of camera, witnesses are in front of camera. Should the hearing of this case be pending for years? There is every evidence of the crime. Will the testimony be recorded again? Will these daughters have to go to the court again to narrate their grievances? Will he face humiliation if he is questioned again about the incident? Will there be a fear of witnesses changing their statements and the culprits getting away with it? Will it take years to execute the death penalty? And when the death penalty is imposed, will it take years for his appeal for clemency to be rejected? Is it necessary to go through the whole process again? Can the process of trial and sentencing be changed keeping in mind the tears of the country? Or will our hands bound by the law continue to pierce our soul because of this helplessness? Will there be no change this time? This is the question that is in front of the country, in front of the system.
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