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An Open Letter to the Central Government, State Government of Manipur
and all the Fellow Citizens of India

Today India’s soul is deeply wounded! Shameful and shocking videos of barbaric acts carried out against two women on 04th May have now surfaced from Manipur, which has been burning for more than two months! Two helpless women were paraded naked surrounded by a devilish mob and sexually assaulted by perverts in this sacred land, where a mother is to be revered like God! It is loathing, disgusting and abominable to say the least. It is a blatant violation of human rights. The public demonstration of such a heinous crime manifests the height of the lawlessness prevailing in the region. The fact that, even after two months, the clearly identifiable perpetrators of this horrific crime are not yet brought to justice adds to the gravity of the situation. The odious crime carried out in public and its video shooting pose serious threat to the democracy and law and order in the country. The scary shouts and laughs of the offenders are insult to the sacred constitution of India. It deserves to be condemned by all responsible citizens of India regardless of differences lest it be repeated in any other part of the country.

Lack of immediate and stringent measures on the part of the central and state governments and the police department, I believe, amounts to adding fuel to the violence in Manipur. Even the best explanations of the concerned authorities fail to convince the common man that no religious factors are at play in the prolonged violence in the state. It is religious persecution in every sense. The number of Christians died and displaced and the churches destroyed is obvious evidence to state that Christians are targeted. The ill-intended attempts to describe the present violence just as the result of ethnic clashes offer the persecutors an excuse to continue violence unabashedly. After all, can violence be tolerated in the name ethnic clashes? Even if it is an ethnic clash, should it not be stopped? It is ridiculous that the police play the role of mute spectators in Manipur, while the lawbreakers unleash brutality. Violence in any form has to be stopped. Violence can never be justified in the name of caste, tribe or religion.

The plight of Christians in Manipur is a serious concern, not only for the Christians but for the entire nation as well. Atrocities against any group in the name of religion are clear violation of the rights enshrined in the constitution of India. Christians in India, like any other citizens, have the fundamental right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion. Being Christian in no way reduces patriotism. Christian faith urges loyalty to the homeland and respect for its leaders. While millions of Indians are peacefully living in foreign countries practising their own religions, why can Indian Christians not live peacefully in their homeland practising their religion? It is really heartbreaking that very little is said by the media and national and state leaders about the human rights violation and Christian persecution in Manipur. As a legal maxim states, “justice delayed is justice is denied”. The unexplainable silence of the concerned authorities in the face of outright violation of human rights and constitutional rights in Manipur seems to betray an unholy alliance of vested interests. Political gains cannot be sought at the cost of the innocent lives.

Man-made sufferings of the people of Manipur, I believe, cause millions of Indians sleepless nights. What is the wrong done by those who lost life? What is the wrong done by those who are displaced? What is the wrong done by those helpless women brutally harassed, assaulted and gangraped? They are crying for justice. Their cry is reverberating across the country. As a faithful Christian and a proud Indian citizen, I vehemently condemn the human rights violation and Christian persecution in Manipur and do appeal to the fellow citizens to do the same and request both central and state governments to stop violence in Manipur with unwavering fidelity and loyalty to the constitution of India. “Let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24)!

Bishop Prince Antony
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Adilabad
20 July 2023

Shukla Sen FB : https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10231147132366828&id=1387786704

The PM opened his mouth outside the Parliament Building -- only to slyly bracket Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Manipur together -- after 78 days of the start of the mayhem and 77 days of this utterly shameful and shocking incident -- quickly following the SC taking note and issuing threat to intervene, if the state doesn't act.
The Prime Minister, would, however, be only briefly present in the Parliament and refused to speak as demanded by the Opposition. Thus the opening day of the Monsoon Session was a virtual washout -- in both the houses.

Not to forget, the Article 355 - empowering the Union Government to take charge of the law and order situation in the state - was invoked on May 4th.
That makes the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister directly responsible for what's happening since that day.

Here're some relevant points:
10 Logical Questions and Answers -
1) वायरल वीडियो की घटना कब हुई ? 04 मई को यानि करीब 78 दिन पहले
2) FIR कब हुई ? करीब 60 दिन पहले
3) केवल एक आदमी की गिरफ्तारी कब हुई ? आज यानि 20 जुलाई को | पता नहीं वह सही आदमी है या बस किसी को पकड़ लिया ?
4) FIR में किसका नाम था ? अज्ञात लोगों का |
5) वीडियो में इतने लोग दिख रहे हैं और नाम अज्ञात ??
6) इतनी बड़ी घटना हुई और सरकार के बड़े अफसरों को और बड़े नेताओं को घटना की जानकारी थी कि नहीं ? अगर थी तो क्या किया ? अगर नहीं थी तो कुर्सी के लायक नहीं हो |
7) अब देश और BJP की जो बदनामी हो रही है उसका जिम्मेवार कौन ? जबाब नहीं मालूम
8) 30 जून और 09 जुलाई को @logiclub_in ने जो tweet किया था उस पर सरकार ने ध्यान दिया ? नहीं
9) दोषियों के खिलाफ कैसी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए ? आतंकवादियों जैसा |
10) और कौन दोषी है ? लोकल थाना से लेकर CM @NBirenSingh तक
<https://twitter.com/logiclub_in/status/1681914444295860225>

No less relevant in this context, while the PM in his debut speech on Manipur mayhem talked of upholding the honour and ensuring the security of "our mothers and sisters" and also the strictest punishment for criminals, let's not forget that the BJP-run Government of Gujarat, with the explicit endorsement of his own government, celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on the 75th Independence Day by prematurely releasing all the eleven convicts serving prison terms for life in Bilkis Bano gangrape and mass murder case.
Moreover, the subject gangrape and mass murder, including that of the three-year old girl of Bilkis Bano, let's not slip out of our mind, had happened under the watch of the Prime Minister then functioning as the state Chief Minister. Not only that, as the state government then did all that it can do to obstruct the process of justice to bring the culprits to book, on the Supreme Court's order the case had to be transferred out of the state and the investigation taken over by the CBI.
On top of all that, on release, these eleven would be publicly felicitated.
So...

Manipur Video Horror I Women Paraded Naked, Filmed on Camera I 21 year old Gangraped I  Barkha Dutt 20.7.23 India is outraged after a video that shows 2 women of the Kuki community being paraded naked, has gone viral. The incident took place on the 4th of May but the video has only just surfaced. The FIR registered by the village chief the women belonged to alleges that five members of a Kuki family were fleeing from a mob of 800-1000 armed men, when their movement was blocked. Three women, as per the FIR were stripped to the skin and paraded naked; one of them was "brutally gangraped". Her brother, who was only 19 was "killed on the spot" as he tried to fight for his sister. Another man of the same family was also killed. The incident happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district.

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has spoken to the CM of Manipur Biren Singh condemning the inhumanity of what is shown on camera. ​

We're Ashamed, Politics Shouldn't Be Done' | Congress On Manipuri Women Being Paraded On Cam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si_XdW-Neh8 India is outraged after a video that shows 2 women of the Kuki community being paraded naked, has gone viral. The incident took place on the 4th of May but the video has only just surfaced. The FIR registered by the village chief the women belonged to alleges that five members of a Kuki family were fleeing from a mob of 800-1000 armed men, when their movement was blocked.

Three women, as per the FIR were stripped to the skin and paraded naked; one of them was "brutally gangraped". Her brother, who was only 19 was "killed on the spot" as he tried to fight for his sister. Another man of the same family was also killed. The incident happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district.

He does not take responsibility nor does he say that he is ashamed. All he says is .."The incident is shameful for any society. This has put our whole nation to shame. 140 crore people have to put to shame. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-modi-breaks-silence-on-manipur-violence-says-women-parade-incident-is-shameful/articleshow/101975358.cms.. What about you PM, aren't you ashamed... Ashamed that you have till now not done anything about it?

Vrinda Grover:  Is this all about all Indian Women?  Women are also divided along caste etc.  Sometimes as Women we have not stood by each other. We have also seen that at time women are participating in such outrage.     https://youtu.be/uD3a6c30_6o?t=658  Why are questions not being asked to those who are weilding power.. rather than the whataboutery .. not just journliast.. .Activists  who were part of womens group, who have been going in support of victims, are being demonised, crimilanised. They have FIRs against them!. Citizens will have to act. But if they do, they warned that it will lead to a law and order situation.  Which means that we have to understand whether this "law and order" is anppout maintaining politicians in power or is law and order about safeguarding our lives and dignity. and not to supress the truth.

  Pious statements that we are ashamed. we are going to give death sentence etc. will not do.Nobody is buying this kind of statement  Highlighted by F M Vrinda Grover raises very very crucial questions on the state's role . I liked the way Vrinda Grover brought in the role citizens play. .. The PUCL n PUDR reports that formed the basis of 1984 Sikh carnage cases

How the Manipur Viral Video Exposed a Political Coverup by the Govt. | Akash banerjee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsMJoFxpdco
 Jul 20, 2023 It took a 2 month old video - of 2 women being paraded and abused - to wake up the nation. Manipur had been burning for now - but few cared - however on gory video changed that. For a day or two Manipur become the focus of national conversation - even the Prime Minister had to break his 79 day MAUN - VRAT to speak on the issue - but even he did not offer much.

While the first arrests in this case have now been made - its become clear that the Biran Singh Govt was sitting on this case - fully aware of what was happening - hoping that the rest of the country does not wake up to this reality.