Indian Christian women condemn the video of two women being nakedly paraded by a throng that has gone viral

Indian Christian women have protested and condemned the viral video of 26 minutes showing the group, which paraded two Christian women from the ethnic Kuki-Zo tribe who were made naked and gang-rapped in Manipur state.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) file, one woman was aged 21, and another woman was 42.

The incident took place on May 4, one day after violent ethnic clashes between the primarily Hindu Meitei and mainly Christian Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur, a state governed for six years by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Following the viral video on the 79th day of the violence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the media near Parliament House that the horrific video had filled his heart with anguish and anger, adding that the guilty would not escape punishment.

“The Manipur incident is shameful for any civilized nation. As I stand next to this temple of democracy, my heart is filled with pain and anger. The entire country has been shamed,” he added.

According to Kochurani Abraham, a woman theologian in Kerala, the system that allows criminals to use women's bodies to express revenge is unjust.

She told Matters India, “The sexual brutalities meted out to Manipuri women fill me with rage.”

Sister Maria Nirmalini, (AC) general of Apostolic Carmel of India said, “absolutely condemns the video,” which she finds “very disturbing as a woman. It is an outrageous violation of the respect and dignity of women.”

Sister Nirmalini added, "We expect the central government to take action against the police and punish law enforcement officials who watched the crime; those who committed it should be jailed."

Sister Dorothy Fernandes, Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a social activist, said to Matters India, “orchestrated ghastly crime" sent a shiver down her spine. “I am sure all women feel it has happened to them.”

Mumbai-based writer and activist Astrid Lobo Gajiwala points out that the state finally spoke out against the atrocities occurring in Manipur after seeing a video of women being forced to strip.

"If the video had not provoked widespread outrage and caused perceived damage to the government's image, would the powers that have broken their self-imposed silence?” Gajiwala said.

She said, "Women’s bodies have always been used as a battlefield so while the Manipur episode is mind-numbing and horrific, tragically, it is not unexpected.”

The timeline disturbed her because the incident happened on May 4 but the first FIR was filed on May 18 and the prime minister got to know of it from the rest of India on July 20, 2023.

“The chief minister has now admitted on television that there are more such incidents. So, what does the state's silence mean? Does it mean that women's bodies are now weaponized in conflicts and do not merit state attention and intervention?” she questioned.

Taking no steps to restore order and law despite knowing about these atrocities, she asserts the state authorities were complicit.

“And if they didn’t know for over two months is this not a sign of incompetence?" she asked.

All Manipur authorities should implement a truth-telling committee, document stories from the state, and care for victims, according to Gajiwala.

Sister Dorothy Fernandes, Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a social activist, said to Matters India, “orchestrated ghastly crime" sent a shiver down her spine. “I am sure all women feel it has happened to them.”

Sister Fernandes wonders who will be held responsible for the 100 women's deaths that have occurred in Manipur, and the chief minister has said the administration has shut down the internet in the state due to these deaths.

Sister Fernandes, national convener of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace, an advocacy group said, “If women’s bodies become a battlefield, what message is sent to the nation? Do we women, our dignity, not matter? Do you want to use us and our bodies for political gain?”

She said justice demands that the prime minister and the chief minister resign along with the entire federal cabinet. “How should we conduct ourselves if we cannot protect the dignity and safety of women who form 50 percent of society?”

The Syro-Malabar Church, The Mothers’ Forum stated, “Amid the painful news of the Manipur riots going on for about two and a half months, young women have been stripped naked and gang-raped in a brutal and inhumane manner.”

It is shameful that the rulers continue to be inactive even after robbing Mother India's honor. The Mothers' Forum said, "We suspect that the Manipur chief minister and the prime minister are approving what is happening in that state."

The mothers said bringing criminals to justice and ensuring maximum penalties is the right thing to do.