Strip-parade inhuman; PM must intervene to bring peace in Manipur: Irom Sharmila
Kolkata (PTI): Civil rights activist Irom Sharmila Sunday described the incident of strip-and-parade of two tribal women as "inhuman" and "very disturbing" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene to address the situation in her home state.
The 51-year-old award-winning activist said she could not hold her tears after watching the video clip that showed two women being paraded naked and molested by a group of men in Kangpokpi district of the northeastern state on May 4.
The video which surfaced on July 19 sparked condemnation countrywide. Since then, the police have arrested six people.
"It's inhuman and quite a disturbing incident. I could not hold my tears seeing the video I have received. I am deeply pained and shocked," Sharmila told PTI in an exclusive interview from Bangalore.
Sharmila who hailed from Manipur had been on hunger strike for 16 years demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). She was force-fed by food tubes during that period.
"It's clear that the state government in Manipur has failed totally. And when a state cannot control the situation, why is the Prime Minister silent? He should protect the people of Manipur. If he is concerned about the suffering of the people of Manipur, he must intervene... Like the people of Gujarat, the Maniuris also require his leadership," she said.
The 'Iron Lady' of Manipur demanded that Chief Minister N Biren Singh should admit his failure and apologise to the people.
"The CM must talk to all 60 MLAs putting aside the differences. He must talk to them one-to-one and consider their opinions and decide how to stop the feeling of hatred between the two communities (Meitei and Kuki). That is the need of the hour," she said.
Sharmila also felt that the ban on the internet to curb the circulation of fake news and videos in the ethnic violence-hit state of Manipur has not helped the situation in Manipur.
"I do not think this ban on the internet has helped in controlling violence in Manipur. On the contrary, Had the internet been working, the women (strip parade victims) could have got justice and the culprits were behind bars," she said.
Prime Minister Modi, who was accused by the opposition of keeping mum on the Manipur situation for over two months, condemned the incident of parading the two women naked a day after the video surfaced.
Sharmila demanded that the culprits should be awarded life imprisonment with rigorous labour and without parole.
More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.
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All arrangements in place for second phase of polling in West Bengal on April 29: Poll official
Kolkata (PTI): All arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on April 29, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, Agarwal asserted that there would be no bogus voting and no disturbances.
"We have made all arrangements. For every possible issue, there is a remedy that will be applied at the right place,” he said.
"The election process is being handled uniformly across the state and not viewed separately in phases," he said.
Referring to the first phase of polling held on April 23, Agarwal said voting was peaceful due to coordinated efforts of the administration, police, central forces, political parties and voters.
"Preparations have been further strengthened for the concluding phase," he said, adding that he had visited several districts and sensitive areas to review preparedness.
"There is strong enthusiasm among people to vote. The 93 per cent turnout in the first phase has set a new benchmark, and in many places, people are aiming to surpass that figure in the second phase," he said.
On incidents of unrest ahead of the polls, Agarwal said such occurrences were not new and similar incidents had taken place before the first phase, but the situation remained under control on polling day.
He said the state police and central forces were fully prepared to maintain law and order and ensure peaceful voting.
A total of 3,21,73,837 people -- 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 third-gender voters -- are eligible to cast their votes across 142 assembly segments in seven districts in the second phase, officials said.
Polling will be held at 41,001 polling stations, all of which will be covered by webcasting. A total of 2,321 companies of central forces have been deployed, with the highest deployment of 273 companies in Kolkata, they said.
Returning officers have also been directed to ensure the movement of polling personnel from booths to receiving centres under proper security arrangements immediately after the conclusion of voting, they added.
Agarwal said deployment of central forces for the second phase began on Sunday, adding that earlier there had been a relative shortage of forces.
"Taking advantage of that, miscreants indulged in incidents of unrest and intimidation," he said.
As many as 142 general observers, 95 police observers and 100 expenditure observers have been deployed, while drones fitted with cameras will be used to monitor the polling process.
A total of 1,448 candidates are in the fray in this phase. Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district has the highest number of candidates at 19, while Goghat in Hooghly district has the lowest at five.
Among the prominent candidates contesting in this phase are Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in Bhabanipur, state ministers Sujit Bose in Bidhannagar, Firhad Hakim in Kolkata Port, Jyoti Priya Mallick in Habra, Bratya Basu in Dum Dum and Sovandeb Chattopadhyay in Ballygunge, and BJP's Arjun Singh in Noapara, Swapan Dasgupta in Rashbehari and Rudranil Ghosh in Shibpur.
Also in the fray are CPI(M)'s Minakshi Mukherjee in Uttarpara, Dipsita Dhar in Dum Dum Uttar against state minister Chandrima Bhattacharjee, Kalatan Dasgupta in Panihati against BJP’s Ratna Debnath, mother of the doctor raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and ISF MLA Nawsad Siddiqui in Bhangar.
Asked about the alleged attack on TMC MP Mitali Bag, Agarwal said, "Three aspects are emerging in the incident. In some places, it is being described as an intra-party conflict. Reports have been sent by the district magistrate and the police. The EC will examine all reports and the entire matter before commenting."
In the first phase, polling was held for 152 seats across 16 districts on April 23. A voter turnout of 93.19 per cent, the highest in the state's history, was recorded.
