It was the same time of the year 2004 when twelve middle-aged women staged a protest outside the headquarters of the Kangla Fort, Assam Rifles in Imphal. They stripped naked, holding banners that read “Indian Army Rape Us” and “Take Our Flesh.” The protest was both a display of their vulnerability and an act of defiance, aiming to shame and draw attention to the security forces' alleged atrocities.
The protest was sparked by the brutal killing of a 32-year-old woman, who was allegedly arrested by the Assam Rifles. Her bullet-riddled body was found the next day, and she had been subjected to sexual violence and torture.
In response to her killing and the long-standing issue of alleged human rights abuses by security forces operating under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Manipur, Meira Paibis (women torchbearers) or Imas (mothers), initiated a unique and powerful form of protest receiving widespread attention and condemnation, both nationally and internationally.
After almost 19 years, a video has emerged from the state torn into ethnic conflict between the Meities and the Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities. The difference is: Today the survivor belongs to the Kuki community and the perpetrators belong to the community that once was subject to such torture and humiliation. It has again taken a visual to spark debate and bring into light a conflict that has by now killed more than 100 people and left more than 200 villages and 400 churches destroyed and burnt.
The intent of the piece is to address the Imas (mothers) of Manipur. We ask you: Who else would understand better than you the pain and agony of women subjected to sexual violence?
Women as the First and Foremost Identity
The impact of the aforementioned murder has been so deep on the community that to date, Assam Rifles is looked at with suspicion. Anyone who walks in the Metei regions or talks to Meira Paibis, would unhesitatingly call out Assam Rifles, to the extent that: “Assam Rifles is supporting Kuki militants in attacking Meteis.”
History is repeating itself now. Kukis today demand stringent action against the rapists. Their demands for complete administrative separation from Meitei administered Imphal has earned a patient hearing from mainland India. They have added new allies standing in solidarity with their demands from the neighboring states of Mizoram and Nagaland, as well as progressive circles across the country.
One might argue that it took a viral video to shake the conscience of a nation, it is also a fact that the issue has traveled so far that the Indian government in denial cannot afford to remain unaccountable to its citizens anymore, also at a time when the country is headed to general elections in less than a year’s time.
Though Manipur only has two Lok Sabha seats, it is a state of significance to India. Imas of Manipur know, the lesser power for political bargaining makes it difficult for the citizens to get a sensible hearing from the policymakers until it uses ‘nakedness’ as a political tool.
The Imas have faced it and fought it hard. They know the pain and agony the individual and community is subject to. They understand how taxing could the struggle for justice be if the perpetrators enjoy impunity for being closer to or part of the state. Hence Imas can’t and should not side with the perpetrators of sexual violence because they belong to their community. The subjugation of women facilitated by patriarchy cuts across ideologies, caste, and class, hence, Imas, needs to side with rape survivors unconditionally. They must also highlight similar cases from their community and make sure their homeland Manipur doesn’t scare women and people of gender.
Women's Bodies Must Not Be Battlefields
Since the video has made rounds over social media, the Chief Minister in an interview claimed, “Aapko sirf ek video dikh raha hai, yahan ye roz ho raha hai (You are only watching one video, while this is happening daily),” referring to the viral video. While it is a statement of the utter collapse of the state, it clearly points to the pattern of a conflict, making women's bodies battlefields. Women fondled and paraded naked questions about the rights of a woman over their own bodies, at the same time, it also implies that women's bodies are either representatives of proprietary rights of the men as owners bringing pride or shame to the families and social circles but not just bodies.
While it is not the first time that rape and sexual violence have been used as tools in conflict, it has been observed that sexual violence has profound and devastating consequences, and one of its distressing effects is the imposition of shame and stigma on survivors and their communities. And that is prominently one of the reasons why the Kuki community elders avoided talking about rapes and sexual violence against their women to the press. The deeply ingrained taboos and patriarchal norms attempt to silence survivors and avoid addressing the issue publicly, resulting in further shame and isolation for survivors.
The fact that the Prime Minister could afford to remain silent on the ethnic conflict in Manipur, only to wake up at the video of a woman stripped and paraded by a mob says a lot about the fundamental wrongs India’s politics is up to. However, what he said addressing the issue is again a matter of contestation as he invoked the cases of rapes in the congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. But it is not so hard to address the cases of sexual violence, harassment, and rape without ‘ifs’ and ‘buts.’ However, the politics of whataboutery fails each time to make a strong statement of ensuring safety and dignified life for women and people of gender.
It is also a reminder for women who have married themselves to the politics of hate and dominance, the majoritarian politics with a strong emphasis on nationalism and masculine identity would systematically use them as pawns against the women of ‘other’ communities but will ultimately marginalize their voices in decision making.
There are numerous examples from history and within India where the politics of hate has triumphed over women's bodies — be it the abduction, rape, and forced conversion of women during the partition of India, alleged rapes of women by security forces in Kashmir’s Kunan Poshpora, women in Manipur left with no other choice than to naked protest the sexual violence that hid behind AFSPA and other.
Reflection for the Storytellers
While the struggle before was to get mainstream media talk about Manipur, the bigger challenge now is to let them know how not to report sexual violence and rapes. As much as the question like ‘how it happened’ needs to be avoided, so should the metaphors of ‘behan-betiyon’ be avoided. Such equivalences take away the agency of women.
The survivor or her family must not be forced to speak to different channels. The privacy of the survivor and family must be maintained. Forcing them to get on camera or even convincing them to talk about the same is denying them the right to heal.
(Bansal is a research scholar and works on women and child rights. Kumar is an independent journalist and author. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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