- Thursday, February 27, 2025
The husband of one of the two women seen in the video is a former soldier who has fought for the country in the Kargil War of 1999 against Pakistan.
By: Shubham Ghosh
OUTRAGE across India has refused to die down even two days after a horrific video showing two naked women being dragged by a mob in the Kangpokpi district of the violence-hit north-eastern state of Manipur surfaced on social media on Wednesday (19).
One of the two, belonging to the Kuki-Zo tribe, was allegedly gang-raped by the mob. The incident reportedly took place on May 4, a day after deadly clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities broke out in the state over the demand of Scheduled Tribes status.
The issue was hugely condemned by the opposition as well as the civil society and even prime minister Narendra Modi had to break his silence and assure that strict action would be taken against the culprits. The Supreme Court of India also asked the government to take action and warned that it itself would take action if the authorities did not.
The husband of one of the two women seen in the video is a former soldier who has fought for the country in the Kargil War of 1999 against Pakistan. He had worked in the Indian Army as a subedar in the Assam Regiment.
The man told an Indian news outlet that he was “sad” and “depressed” by the event and sought action against the accused. He said the police stood like bystanders even as the incident happened and demanded that people who burned the houses and humiliated the women get “exemplary punishment”
He regretted that while he fought for the country in the Kargil War and was also a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, he could not protect his own home, wife and fellow villagers after retiring.
Speaking to Times of India, he said that he has witnessed fighting in Kargil but his own place became more dangerous than a battlefield after he returned home.
He said the mob first attacked their village and houses, forcing the residents to flee. His wife got separated from him and took shelter in a forest with some other villagers. The attackers spotted them after entering the village chasing their pet animals.
The former armyman said he could see the mob taking his wife and others to a distance.
Three women were forced to strip naked and one among them, a 21-year-old, was allegedly gang-raped. When her teenage brother tried to save his sister, he was murdered.
A few people have been arrested in connection to the incident but the outrage has continued.
