After a horrific video from May 4 surfaced on Wednesday showing two women being paraded naked in Manipur, the Supreme Court of India demanded the government to take necessary action. The viral video sparked widespread condemnation and concerns from political parties who urged the government to speak about the ethnic violence-hit state in the Monsoon Session of Parliament that begins today.
CJI DY Chandrachud said that he was deeply disturbed by the video and remarked, "We will give a little time for government to take action otherwise we will step in." He further said that using women as an instrument in an area of communal strife is "the grossest of constitutional abuse."
The court further asked Centre and Manipur governments to apprise it on what action has been taken to book the perpetrators. "What is portrayed in the media about visuals which appeared shows gross constitutional violation and infraction of human life using women as instruments of perpetrated violence is against constitutional democracy," the court noted, and posted the matter for further hearing on next Friday.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence on the violence in Manipur which first erupted on May 3. "Manipur incident shameful for any decent society; my heart full of pain, anger," he said. Opposition parties have been questioning PM Modi's silence on the issue stating that neither has he made a statement nor visited the violence-hit state.
This is a developing story. More details are awaited.
