Manipur naked parade: Left to die in paddy field, how two women ran for life and justice

B Phainom is a nondescript village deep inside Manipur in Kangpokpi district. Had it not been for the leaked video of the two lady residents of the village who were paraded naked (one of them raped), this village would be just another sleepy village forgotten on the wayside just like many other adjoining villages that’s now reduced to ashes.

The ‘B’ in the name of village stands for “Buite” representing a clan of Vaiphei community who were the early settlers of this village which has about 40 houses. Most of the villagers engage in agricultural activities toiling in paddy fields surrounding their village. There is no school and the nearest school is in Sekmai about five kms away. Few managed to send their children out for studies believing that it would change their life forever.

"Miss Y"’s parents are one such parents who, despite their modest means, made sure their three children get formal education. After "Miss Y", 21, completed her 12th, she was sent to Imphal’s MB College pursuing her fourth semester in Bachelor of Arts. Her younger brother, Nengkholun Vaiphei, cleared his XII in 1st Division. His parents would have been proud to see him follow his sister. Her elder brother is unemployed. 

What glues the villagers together is their Sunday worship. They congregate like one at the Mizoram Presbyterian Church (one of the constituent bodies of the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church of India) where most of the villagers are members of this denomination. It is here that "Miss Y"’s father is the church elder which means he is a trusted figure who offer guidance and mentorship to fellow members of the congregation. Those who know "Miss Y" talk of her beauty and simplicity. “She is quiet and reserved,” says someone who knows her but does not wish to be named. 

Like "Miss Y" who left her village to pursue higher education, there’s someone who left the village to join the army. It is  "Mrs. X" ’s husband (Thangboi Vaiphei) who often regaled his fellow villagers of his days in the Army. He left the village early on to serve in the Indian Army in the Assam Regiment. He retired as a subedar. He is the current chief of the village.

It was on that fateful day of May 4th that "Miss Y" 21, and is  "Mrs. X" , 42, were subjected to the most heinous crime. Stripped naked and walked the street with men following and forgetting they have their mothers, daughters and sisters at home. What is even more chilling is their tale of escape after they were subjected to the most heinous crime. The two ladies who were left to die in the paddy field rose like phoenixes to pick up their clothes. They ran many kilometres for their lives. They live to tell their stories.

But how did they get caught in the first place?

It so happened that on 4th May, miscreants described in the FIR lodged on 18th May, “suspected to be a member of Meitei Youth Organisations, Meetei Leepun, Kangleipak Kanba Lup (KKL), Arambai Tenggol and World Meitei Council (WMC), Schedule Tribe Demand Committee (STDC) numbering about 800-1000 persons carrying sophisticated weapons like AK Rifles” started burning villages around B Phainom. One by one villages like Haukhongching, Elimphai, Haukhongphai, S Kanan Village, Phouvaibi, Nongpokphai village – Phainom, New Canaan and Holton Vaiphei village all together these villages would have about 70-80 houses which were burn down. Villagers of B Phainom were close enough to see smoke and fire engulfing these villages. That’s when they knew they would be the next target and ran in every possible direction. The last to run was the village chief Thongboi Vaiphei and his family along with a few villagers. "Miss Y" and her father Soitankam and younger brother Nengkholun along with  "Mrs. X" (wife of the retired Subedar) were left to face the unruly men who unleashed themselves. "Miss Y" ’s mother had left a few days ago to visit their relatives in Churachandpur which is why she survived. 

Running for life

Led by the village chief, all those who were not swift enough to run earlier, discreetly made their way to another village named Haokhongching which is about a km from B. Phainom. It was a long way until an FIR was filed on 18th May. A tedious journey that took them to the forest where they hit in between for fear of being tortured. But it wasn’t long until miscreates found them. They were pulled out from their hiding place. They were heralded and dragged to Toubul also called Sekmai Khunou – in the paddy fields. According to the FIR, “They were later on rescued by Nongpok Sekmai Police team whom they met on the way to Nongpok Sekmai PS. However, they were blocked on the way by a mob and snatched from the custody of police team by the Violent mob near Toubul (Sekmai khunou) about 2 km from Nongpok Sekmai PS and about 3 Km from 33 AR Somrei Post.” 
That’s when the ladies were forced to strip or be killed. The ordeal followed and it was at this point that "Miss Y"s father was beaten to death. Her brother tried to defend her but he met with the same blow as his father and died in front of her.
The two ladies were left to die in the paddy field. Perhaps, it was their spirit of resilience and inner strength that enabled them to picked themselves up after all that was done to them. They ran back towards their own village B. Phainom under the darkening sky. By then, it was deserted and all the houses were burnt. So, they proceeded to a Tangkhul village called Irong and took shelter in the forest where they met a few of their village folks. The next day, on May 5th morning, they walked to another village on a hilltop for around two to three hours. The villagers there had already fled and it wore a haunted look. Once again, they camped in the forest. On May 6th they reached Lairamkhulen, a Naga Tangkhul village and stayed back for a week. The kind hospitality of the villagers was a much-needed balm. Yet the ladies did not speak a word about their ordeal while they died a thousand deaths inside. 

From May 7th onward, some of the villagers went towards another village called Bongmol in Tengnoupal district. That’s where the village chief was informed and he immediately made a few calls and initiated the FIR to the police station. But it was only on the 18th May that the FIR was managed to be filed. By then, a full-blown violence gripped the state. They could not move anywhere for fear of them lives. It took them a few nights in different villages in between to finally reach a Police Station. For instance, they stayed in a village called Lauramkhuren on the way, and then proceed to Litan, another village and then it was followed by two to three hours of journey by car to reach Zalenbung, yet another Kuki village. Further on, they had to cross about two to three Naga villages on the way to reach Lungtin, another village until they reached Saikul where an FIR was finally lodged on May 18th. But there was no action until the video leaked and went viral. This changed the trajectory of Manipur violence coverage. Truth will slowly start tricking out as credible media organisations and independent media professionals are now beginning to get a grip of the reality. 

As I write this, the victims are already taken to an undisclosed but safer place and in safe and caring hands of the community. Counselling process has begun. They are reeling under extreme shock and trauma. Media must report but not necessarily by asking them questions. To take them back to the trauma by asking very obvious questions might do more harm though the intention might be noble. That’s where the role of responsible media comes in. Their pain is unfathomable. They are vulnerable and must be left to heal while fervent pursuance must be on nonetheless. Our collective concern must be on what kind of future civil society backed by authority could guarantee them and their families. The questions that must be asked is, what is the future that India can promise them? Besides their safety and security, Our collective concern should be for their proper mental and physical rehabilitation to ensure they have a second chance. The state as well as the centre owe it to them for it is in their stoic silence that emboldened the perpetrators. 

At the back of my mind, an uneasy question haunts me. What if the video never went viral? Would we have ever allowed "Miss Y" and  "Mrs. X" to live with their trauma and fight with the demon alone? Also, what about the many unreported cases of women who met the most wretched end from the day the violence erupted in May 3rd? Perhaps that’s another story for another day!
 
( Names withheld to protect the privacy of the survivors )