Where did the glycerine-tear person vanish? Geetha Jeevan on Manipur sexual assault

CHENNAI: State minister of social welfare and women rights Geetha Jeevan questioned the inaction of National Commission of Women (NCW) on the savage sexual assault against women in violence-torn Manipur and said the commission must act in the interest of women's safety at least now.

Remarking that any person with a heart would not be able to continuously watch the video showing the atrocities meted out to the Manipur women, Geetha Jeevan said, "It was so heart-wrenching. As a woman, I tremble at the sight of the barbaric act. I strongly condemn it."

Citing Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh's 'indifferent' statement after the video of women being paraded naked hit social media platforms, Geetha Jeevan said, "There is absolutely no safety for women in Manipur. The National Commission for Women is the hope of the women when such gruesome incidents happen."

Stating that the NCW, which takes suo motu cognisance when women are criticised in public meetings or media debates or social media, also has a duty now, Geetha Jeevan, in a statement, said, "If duty-conscious action could be taken for speaking against women, what action has been taken on the brutal sexual assault on women in Manipur for months. Why did it remain indifferent to it so long?"

"Where did the NCW member who sheds tears with the help of glycerine vanish? What is the women's wing head of the BJP doing?" the minister wondered, taking a veiled dig at Khushbu Sundar and Vanathi Srinivasan MLA in connection with the Manipur violence.

Stating that the Manipur atrocities have raised safety fears among women across the country, the minister for women rights said that the NCW must open its eyes and discharge its duty in haste in the interest of all women in the county and to ensure the safety of Manipur women.

Alleging that the BJP regime at the Centre and in Manipur have caused bloodbath there by inciting division and communal tension between the people, Geetha Jeevan said that the PM of the country did not even turn his attention towards Manipur even as the state was burning for three months.