End silence and act now, Mizoram CM tells PM Modi over Manipur

Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh to take “immediate action” against those who paraded two women naked in the troubled state.

A day after a shocking video of the two women surfaced, Zoramthanga said the situation in Manipur, where over 140 people have been killed in ethnic violence since May, “seems to have worsened”.

“Silence is not an option,” he said in a strongly-worded statement.

Zoramthanga said he was shaken to see the video and termed the victims “my kin… my own blood”.

“Brutal violence in Manipur not only affects the neighbouring state but the whole country. Situations seem to have worsened! I was really shocked and shaken to see the video,” he tweeted.

The chief minister said the “shocking” video of the sexual assault of the two Vaiphei women in Manipur was “brutal, merciless, heinous, despicable and completely inhuman!”

Northeast crisis

He said the entire northeastern region needed a permanent solution for the “great problem” Manipur was having which can really be solved “only” by the Central government.

“I re-quote — Many lives have been lost, bloodshed all over, physical torture and the victims are looking for refuge wherever possible. With no iota of doubt, those victims are my kin and kin, my own blood and should we quieten the situation by just being silent? I don’t think so!

“Silence is not an option! I would like to call for immediate restoration of peace and normalcy.

“It is incumbent and imperative upon the Manipur government and the Central government to look for immediate ways for peace restoration. I urge Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate action and to bring perpetrators to justice.”

Separately, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) also urged the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate steps to end ethnic violence and restore peace in Manipur, which adjoins Mizoram.

One arrest

The Manipur Police on Thursday arrested one of the main accused who was seen in the video, officials said.

Police said a case of abduction, gang rape and murder has been registered at a police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed miscreants.

The video was doing the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum on Thursday to highlight their plight.

(With agency inputs)