Manipur Violence: Indian-Origin Women's Group Stages Silent Protest Over Viral Video In London

The Indian-origin women’s group marched towards Parliament Square where they concluded their protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi opposite Houses of Parliament complex.

New Delhi: The agitation over Manipur violence was no longer confined to India as a UK-based Indian-origin women’s group staged a silent protest in London over the viral video showing two women being paraded naked in the strife-torn northeast state, news agency PTI reported. The Women of North East India Support Network (WNESN) organised a protest march in masks to signify silence and carried placards outside the Indian High Commission in London.

The Indian-origin women’s group, with placards reading, 'We have been silenced' and 'Women's bodies are not battlefields', then marched towards Parliament Square where they concluded their protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi opposite the Houses of Parliament complex on Wednesday evening.

“Together we marched in solidarity to share the pain and anguish of our two Kuki-Zo sisters of Manipur who were paraded naked and gang-raped,” WNESN said in a statement, reported PTI.

According to the report, the WNESN group was formed in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic as a community-based women’s support network.

The silent march came in the wake of a video from violent-hit Manipur last week showing two women being paraded naked.

The viral video sparked nationwide outrage with party workers cutting across political lines taking to streets demanding justice for the victims.

A top government functionary in New Delhi said on Thursday that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the case of alleged sexual assault on the two women and stringent action will be taken against the accused.

Notably, since violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, over 160 people have been killed and hundreds have been injured.

The violence erupted after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while the tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts.