US "Shocked and Horrified" by Video of Assault on Two Women in Manipur, Supports Pursuit of Justice

Manipur Violence: According to a top Biden administration official, the US is "shocked and horrified" by the video of an awful attack on two women in Manipur and supports the Indian government's attempts to pursue justice for them. On July 19, the video that appeared to show two women being paraded naked and assaulted by a group of men on May 4 in the Kangpokpi district went viral, drawing widespread criticism across the nation.

Deputy Spokesperson Expresses Sympathy and Support

"We were shocked and horrified by the video of this extreme attack on two women in Manipur. We convey our profound sympathies to the survivors of this act of gender-based violence and support the Indian Government’s efforts to seek justice for them,” Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday. Patel was responding to a query regarding the unrest in Manipur from a Pakistani reporter. According to Patel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged that such violence against women is deplorable in any civilised society.

A Call for Peace and Inclusive Resolution

"And as we have previously stated, we encourage a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the violence in Manipur and encourage authorities to respond to the humanitarian needs and protect the lives and property of all groups,” Patel added. Prime Minister Modi last week expressed his anguish and rage over the tragedy in his first public remarks about it. He said that it had embarrassed 140 crore Indians and said that the guilty would not be spared, despite the Congress Party calling his words "too little, too late". Since May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was held in the hill areas to protest against the Meitei community's quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, more than 160 people have died and several others have been injured as a result of ethnic violence in the state. The tribal population of Manipur, which includes the Naga and Kuki people, makes about 40% of the total population and is primarily concentrated in the hill regions, whereas Meiteis make up around 53% of the population and reside primarily in the Imphal Valley.

Seeking Peace and Justice in Manipur

In the meantime, the tiny Manipuri diaspora in the US has called for an immediate halt to the state's violence and the installation of the president's authority, arguing that doing so is necessary to bring back peace and order in Manipur. “I am so tired of talking about this issue. I am so exhausted talking about this issue... What can we do? Why are we as a world, as people allowing this to happen? There is a very simple solution in India itself, which is the president's rule. The government, for reasons of their own, have decided not to do or say anything about this,” Florence Lowe, president of the North Manipur Tribal Association told PTI in an interview. Florence is an adjunct professor of digital production management at the University of Texas in Dallas and the descendant of an ex-official of the Uttar Pradesh cadre of the Indian Police Service. Lowe, who was born in Manipur, spent the majority of her early years there. She established the North American Manipur Tribal Association in May in an effort to unite the hill tribes of her state under a single banner and condemn the violence in the state of their origin. "They're letting the fires burn. At least in the US, what we are trying to do is to raise awareness with our Congress people and our Senators and with world organisations like the World Bank, the UN, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and so on,” Lowe said.

Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER