Manipur parading case: Cong seeks resignation of Biren Singh, stage protests

NEW DELHI: Women Congress workers and leaders staged a protest on Thursday at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh over the Manipur viral video case. While holding a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, women leaders and workers of the Congress Party raised slogans demanding the Manipur CM's resignation and held out signs of "We want peace in Manipur."

The protest comes amid a horrific video of two women being paraded naked on a road by a group of men in Manipur has been shared widely on social media, drawing massive condemnation and calls for action. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court said it was "deeply disturbed" by the video which has emerged in which two tribal women were seen paraded naked and molested, and asked the Centre and State to take action against the perpetrators.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra said it was "simply unacceptable" and using women as an instrument in violence is unacceptable. Taking suo motu cognisance of a video that emerged online yesterday, the bench asked the Centre and State to appraise the step taken on the issue.

"Simply unacceptable. Using women as an instrument in an area of communal strife to inflict gender violence is deeply disturbing. This is the grossest of constitutional abuse and human rights violations. We are deeply disturbed by the videos which have emerged. If the government does not act, we will," CJI said. A video of the two-month-old incident had gone viral evoking sharp reactions from various political parties and triggering outrage.

PM Modi, this morning spoke said he is pained over the incident and said the incident is "shameful for any civil society." "No accused will be spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this," the Prime Minister said.

Notably, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the state police has made its first arrest in the case."Last night at around 1.30 am, we arrested the main culprit," the Manipur chief minister told ANI. Manipur has been witnessing violence since May 3, following the protests by the Kuki and Naga communities against the High Court's order asking the state government to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST). Only STs can buy lands in hilly areas.

The majority Meitei community, which occupies the Imphal valley and nearby areas, sought the ST status keeping in view their increasing population and increased requirement of land so that they could purchase lands in the hilly areas.