Manipur Visuals Point To “Gross Constitutional Failure”: Supreme Court

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today condemned the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur and said that the visuals point to a gross constitutional failure. The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, asked the government to take action and also keep the court apprised about the steps being taken to ensure safety of women in the region.

“We are very deeply disturbed about the videos distributed yesterday. We are expressing our deep concern. It is time that the government steps and takes action. This is unacceptable,” DY Chandrachud said.

The Chief Justice urged the Centre to take swift action, saying that the court would act if the government doesn’t.

“If the government does not act, we will. We are of the view that court must be apprised of the steps taken by the government so that perpetrators are booked for such violence. What is portrayed in the media and visuals which appeared shows gross constitutional violation,” the chief justice said.

In the video that has triggered massive condemnation and demands for action, two women were paraded naked by a mob, molested and dragged to a field, where they were allegedly gang-raped.

The incident took place on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, some 35 km from the state capital Imphal, according to a statement by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF).

A day after the horrific video surfaced on the internet, Manipur police arrested a key accused. The accused, identified as Heradas (32), was arrested from Thoubal district with the help of the video in which he was seen wearing a green T-shirt, the police said.

Violence in Manipur first erupted on May 3 during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The Kuki tribe has demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister. Over 120 have died in the ethnic violence and thousands have been internally displaced and are now living in relief camps.