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The Mothers and Daughters of Manipur
“I assure the nation, the law will take its course with all its might. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi breaking his months long silence following the outbreak of intense ethnic violence in Manipur. Since May 3, 2023, clashes between the Meitei majority and the tribal Kuki-Zo minority ravaged the Indian border state, resulting in the deaths of over 130 people, injury of more than 400, displacement of about 40,000, and the burning of villages and homes. The conflict is deeply rooted in historical inequalities and tensions between the two groups. The Meitei’s contentious claim of tribal status that would grant them certain rights and privileges originally only afforded to the Kukis has been seen as the catalyst to the most recent wave of violence.
On July 20, 2023, a video went viral that showed two Kuki women being dragged through the streets, naked, and sexually assaulted in Manipur by several Meitei men. The video sparked outrage across Manipur and the rest of India. The police reported that this incident occurred on May 4, 2023, the day after the conflict began. Along with many other demonstrations, more than ten thousand Kuki women joined together in massive rallies and sit-in protests organized by the women’s wing of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum. The protests demanded that every member of the Meitei mob be arrested, critiqued the failures of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, and called for a change in leadership. These protests and the sight of the Kuki women forcibly undressed triggered the memory of another pivotal point in Manipur history: the 2004 naked protest by the Meira Paibis (“Women torch bearers”) or the Mothers of Manipur.