Manipur: Top tribal body slams CM Biren Singh for allegedly politicizing Kuki-Zo women "paraded naked" incident

In a sharp response to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh's alleged statement regarding the gut-wrenching viral video of Kuki-Zo women being paraded naked, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) of Sadar Hills Kangpokpi District unleashed vehement condemnation and expressed profound outrage.

The video, which circulated widely in June 2023, two months after the incident, captured a deeply distressing incident of human rights violation, sparking national and international outrage.

According to CoTU, during the Yuva Sammelan event held in Imphal on April 7, Chief Minister N Biren Singh attributed the dissemination of the video to the opposition party, Congress, suggesting that it was a deliberate attempt to insult and discredit Prime Minister Narendra Modi amidst widespread criticism over his perceived silence on the situation in Manipur.

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While conveying its wholehearted endorsement of the democratic electoral process of the country, the Sadar Hills Kangpokpi's Kuki-Zo top tribal body implored political parties or individuals alike to refrain and desist from appeasing the general public on the harrowing plight of the minority tribals, especially the Kuki-Zo community who are the victim of the alleged genocide as a political scoreboard.

"This is not a matter of political manoeuvring; it is a matter of basic human dignity and justice. The attempt to deflect attention from the atrocities suffered by the Kuki-Zo women is not only reprehensible but also underscores a disturbing indifference towards their plight", the Committee stated.

It then emphatically reiterated that as long as the sacred tenets of the Indian Constitution endure and democracy reigns supreme, neither the lofty seat of the Prime Minister nor the exalted position of the Chief Minister can evade culpability for the profound political crisis gripping the state of Manipur.