By M L Satyan
Bengaluru, July 20, 2023: As a freelance journalist I have been closely reading news in the print media and watching videos in the social media about various incidences happening in Manipur.
The messages were clear – threat to secularism/religious freedom, divide and rule policy and absolute inefficiency of the state and federal governments. Many eminent writers have been writing on Manipur issues. Hence, I never ventured out to writing.
Of all the news, the most shocking and heart-rending news is about the sexual abuse of women that occurred on May 4. The headlines in the print and social media bothered me very much.
• In Manipur Horror, 2 Women Paraded Naked on Camera, Allegedly Gang-Raped (NDTV)
• Women paraded naked in Manipur were forcibly taken away from police custody by mob (The Indian Express)
• Manipur violence: Police confirm Kuki women paraded naked, gangraped by mob (Hindustan Times)
• ‘If you don’t take off your clothes, we will kill you’: Kuki women paraded naked in Manipur (Scroll.in)
• Manipur Viral Video: ‘I am ashamed that no one has been arrested,’ says DCW Chief Swati Maliwal (Times of India)
A video showing two women from the Kuki-Zomi community being paraded naked by a mob of men and being sexually assaulted began doing the rounds from July 19. I watched this.
As per Hindustan Times, at around 3 pm on May 4, around 1,000 miscreants carrying weapons entered the B Phainom village in Kangpokpi district. It was the second day of the ethnic clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups that started in the valley the previous day. It was on this day the horrific incident took place. The brother of one woman tried to protect her but he was killed.
I started wondering what is happening to India. I was feeling ashamed of my own country where we live amidst many contradictions. One glaring contradiction is this: the nation is revered as “Mother India”. Innumerable Goddesses are being worshiped in this country. Many rivers have feminine names such as Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Godavari and Kaveri. In the same country a woman’s safety has become a million-dollar question today.
Asha Devi, mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim, said, “Such brutal incidents of rape has become an everyday affair in India, but the elected representatives do not want to discuss it. News channels will show these things for the next two days and politicians will give some token comments.”
She questioned, “What after that? Are these incidents going to stop? Has punishment for such crimes been made stricter? No. How long will women in India fight for their own safety?”
It is sad to note that a woman becomes the target for everything – an unborn girl child is aborted, a girl faces various types of discriminations in her young age and in married life and when she becomes aged or widow, she is dumped into a garbage bin (home for the aged, ashram for widows or footpath).
Day-in and day-out, women of all ages (6-month baby to 60-year-old) are being targeted by sexually-perverted men. What is wrong with our society? Certain major loopholes need to be pointed out here:
• Wife-beating (for various reasons) – Male children get wrong inspiration from such incidents.
• Disintegrated/Broken families – Children are deprived of parental love and guidance.
• Lack of Sex Education in schools – It paves way for boys to have unhealthy relationship with the opposite sex.
• Male-dominated culture, rules, laws and systems crush the voices of women.
• Today we witness that in many families sexual abuse is used as a weapon to settle a score.
• Caste system in which the upper caste communities continue to harass the low caste communities. The easy preys are low caste women.
• Fast-spreading and easily accessible ‘Porn Culture’ – many young boys and men get addicted to it. They look for a woman to experiment.
• Sick mindset – most men consider women as objects of pleasure. The consequences are: trafficking of women and flourishing flesh trade.
• Social media platforms have become tools to prey for vulnerable victims like women.
• Police is found to be ineffective when it comes to rape incidents. Sadly, the victims are harassed by police to a great extent.
• Weak judiciary system often fails to punish the culprits. Delayed justice is denied justice is the bitter reality.
• The law-makers are insensitive to the burning issue like rape. Amid nationwide outrage over crimes against women, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government recently said, “Not even Lord Ram can assure complete security to women”. The Minister for Women and Child Development often maintains her silence.
Here is a meaningful poem titled: “Aurat” (woman) written by Savita Singh.
“Main kiski aurat hoon? (Whose woman, am I?)
Kaun hai mera parmeshwar? (Who is my god?)
Kiska khaana khaati hoon? (On whose bread do I survive?)
Kiska maar sahti hoon? (Whose beatings do I endure?)”
This poem speaks at so many levels and is more than relevant in the contemporary times. She talks about what it is to be a woman – Is a woman always someone else’s? Does she have a personhood of her own, an individual self? The author’s message is: “We cannot wait for men to grant us our rights. We can acknowledge the constraints we are subjected to, but must urge the transgression of these rigid patriarchal rules.” The author seeks to redefine womanhood by seeking liberation through her own means, without waiting for someone to come and liberate her. (Source: article Feminism in India by Vaishnavi Mahurkar).
This is the country where elections are fought with catchy slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save the girl child, teach the girl child). This slogan of the ruling federal government has become meaningless today. India continues to remain an unsafe place for women. A woman is misused and abused in whatever way possible.
We do not need SLOGAN to save women. We need HUMANITY. We must become more humane in our thoughts, words and deeds.
It’s indeed a dehumanising and beasty culture that our leaders seem to be supporting and closing their eyes, ears and voice as well. Vultures and culprits must be dealt with stringent punishment. Women must be safeguarded.
In an age of increasing mockery of democracy and inequality, one of the surest ways to ensure protection of girls and women is to encourage them to go in for learning Self-defence. This knowledge will be very handy for girls and women in remote areas where they are easy meat for perpetrators. In olden times, women of Bengal would use Boti for self-defence from dacoits. It is a long curved blade fixed on a platform held down by the foot. Both hands are used to hold whatever is being cut and move it against the blade. The sharper side faces the user and it gives excellent control over the cutting process. Botis can be used to cut anything from tiny and large fish to large pumpkins. The knowledge of self-defence will give a lot of confidence to our girls and women.
During our interaction with some women Christian winners in the Panchayat election is North 24-Parganas, we asked them their opinion of propagating self-defence in their respective electorates. They agreed fully and said this was being done in several schools as part of the Educational Curriculum.
M.L. Satyan’s wish that we must become more humane in our thoughts, words and deeds is at best idealistic. Manipur and the panchayat election violence in Bengal (50+ deaths) are very horrific but real eye-openers. We cannot rely anymore on the promises of our politicians who all become friends, across all parties, while deciding the hike in their pay package.