We seem to be living in the best and the worst of times! Injustice and barbarism may have been given free reign but technology has assured us instant demands for redressal and transparency.
On Mother’s Day, The Quint published a video saluting the 2004 protests carried out by Manipur’s mothers against the brutal murder and rape of Thangjam Manorama by the Assam Rifles.
12 mothers carved out one of the most potent images of human agency by standing naked in front of the Kangla Fort in Imphal with a banner that read ‘Indian Army Rape us’. The security forces alleged that Manorama was a militant of the banned People’s Liberation Army. Post the protest, Assam Rifles vacated the fort and AFSPA was lifted from seven assembly areas of Imphal.
The response to our story was quite engaging, if not overwhelming. Our readers reacted with a fair mix of views, ranging from approval to indignation. We respect the fact that they could opinionate freely whether we could breed solidarity or not.
From the very beginning, we were focused on emphasising the investigative and forthright nature of the protest. Any democratic setting needs to initiate such bravado and we stand with Manipur’s mothers who are still waiting for justice.
Here’s the video followed by the received comments on Facebook.
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