Husband recounts horror: The husband of one of the two women who were paraded naked in a heart-wrenching incident in Manipur on Saturday (July 22) opened up about the incident that occurred on May 4 and claimed that it all happened in the presence of the state police which acted as mute spectators while the women were marched disrobed.
The incident which came to light this week, on the eve of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session, shook the conscience of the entire nation and put the Centre and the BJP government in violence-hit Manipur in the dock.
The husband of one of the victim women is a retired soldier and has served the country for a number of years including in the Kargil war. He described his plight in an interview with India TV.
He said that the violence had broken out in Churachandpur on the night of May 3 when the rioters had started burning houses.
"Police did not take any action"
The police which were informed about the incident did not take any action and stood with the rioters instead, the husband alleged.
“The violence started in Churachandpur on the night of 3rd May itself. The rioters burnt our houses. We informed the police about this incident on the night of 3rd May. The police came but they did not help us. The police went and stood with the Maitai people. In the name of forming a peace committee, people came to our house and the rioters burnt the church of the neighboring village. We kept pleading with the police to save us, but no one helped us,” he alleged.
Detailing further, the victim’s husband said that they hid in the forest to save their lives, however, were caught by the mob due to the presence of animals which were also rushing towards the woods to save themselves.
“We left the home and hid ourselves in a nearby forest. They caught us in the forest. They took us away separately. When the crowd came, the police had also reached there,” he said.
The horror
He further claimed that the mob forced them out of the police car.
“The mob forced us out of the police car. Two women were stripped naked by the mob. When a girl's father and brother came, they were killed. My wife was also misbehaved by the mob,” he said.
When asked if there was a need to enforce the Indian Army in the violence-hit state, he said that it is the Centre that has to take a decision on the lives of the minorities of Manipur.
“It is very difficult for the coexistence of minority and majority. The government should decide on the lives of minorities,” he said.
He further demanded the most stringent punishment for the accused in the case.
“The culprits should be given the most stringent punishment. Nobody came out to help at that time. The state police also did not come forward to help in front of whom the acts were conducted,” he alleged.
As many as six culprits have been arrested so far in the viral video case. Chief Minister N Biren Singh has assured strict action against the accused persons and said that his government will try to ensure the death penalty for them.
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