Shila Hoakip's voice echoed in the hall of the Constitution Club of India in Delhi, "Nobody could give her justice." Hoakip is the sister of a 20-year-old Kuki woman who was gang-raped in Manipur during the violence that started in May 2023.
On January 10, the young woman died due to a prolonged illness linked to her injuries. On Thursday, standing in front of the media and civil society members, Hoakip broke down and questioned why her sister suffered and kept fighting for justice that was never delivered.
The 20-year-old passed away in Singhat, Manipur, after fighting for more than two years to get justice. Her family said she never fully recovered from the trauma inflicted during her abduction and sexual assault nearly three years ago.
One of the most brutal cases, it was first highlighted in a complaint to the National Commission for Women (NCW) by two women and a US-based association representing the hill tribes of Manipur — the North American Manipur Tribal Association.
"She was just 18 when her future was stolen from her," Hoakip said, as the victim's brother stood beside her silently. "We are so proud of her. The whole family is so proud of her," Hoakip added, her voice quivering.
According to the victim's FIR accessed by Maktoob, the 18-year-old was abducted on May 15, 2023, in Imphal while trying to withdraw money from an ATM. In her statement, she said that over the course of several hours, she was assaulted at multiple locations in the city and forced into vehicles by groups of men, some allegedly affiliated with the radical Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol.
She later escaped with the help of an auto-rickshaw driver. Her statement detailed the horrific assault she suffered at the hands of the perpetrators.
For more than two years, the girl was left traumatised, with Hoakip saying that she had nightmares at night, during which she would wake up shouting in the middle of the night asking for help.
"Her dreams and future were brutally extinguished on May 15, 2023. Even though she somehow survived, her reason for surviving, her life, her goals — everything was murdered," her sister said before breaking into tears.
Hoakip questioned how the government's "beti bachao, beti padhao" slogan was so prominent but did not apply to the Kuki communities. "The memories of the assault haunted her. She saw their faces. She would remember the colour of the clothes they were wearing that day and could not stop crying," she added.
According to reports, charges against the victim's perpetrators are yet to be framed, and both are currently out on bail. "Until the very end, she was crying for justice. But nobody could give her justice till today. The state and the Indian government have failed us completely," she added.
The press conference held in Delhi was initiated by the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) on the issue of sexual violence against Kuki women in Manipur. Speaking about the broader issue, social activist Glady Vaiephei Hunjan said rape was used against the community.
Dr. Nemthianngai Guite, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), said, "This violence exposed the structural violence which has been happening against minorities and tribal communities since the time of independence."
Gracy Kipgen, a social activist, said that conditions in relief camps are still horrible and people are living with it. The Indian government's silence has only pushed victims to demand a separate administration.
The victim's family was displaced from Imphal, where they had lived for nearly three decades, due to the violence. At least 260 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 displaced since ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023.
Edited By: Elvish Haokip
©The Times of Kukiland
On January 10, the young woman died due to a prolonged illness linked to her injuries. On Thursday, standing in front of the media and civil society members, Hoakip broke down and questioned why her sister suffered and kept fighting for justice that was never delivered.
The 20-year-old passed away in Singhat, Manipur, after fighting for more than two years to get justice. Her family said she never fully recovered from the trauma inflicted during her abduction and sexual assault nearly three years ago.
One of the most brutal cases, it was first highlighted in a complaint to the National Commission for Women (NCW) by two women and a US-based association representing the hill tribes of Manipur — the North American Manipur Tribal Association.
"She was just 18 when her future was stolen from her," Hoakip said, as the victim's brother stood beside her silently. "We are so proud of her. The whole family is so proud of her," Hoakip added, her voice quivering.
According to the victim's FIR accessed by Maktoob, the 18-year-old was abducted on May 15, 2023, in Imphal while trying to withdraw money from an ATM. In her statement, she said that over the course of several hours, she was assaulted at multiple locations in the city and forced into vehicles by groups of men, some allegedly affiliated with the radical Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol.
She later escaped with the help of an auto-rickshaw driver. Her statement detailed the horrific assault she suffered at the hands of the perpetrators.
For more than two years, the girl was left traumatised, with Hoakip saying that she had nightmares at night, during which she would wake up shouting in the middle of the night asking for help.
"Her dreams and future were brutally extinguished on May 15, 2023. Even though she somehow survived, her reason for surviving, her life, her goals — everything was murdered," her sister said before breaking into tears.
Hoakip questioned how the government's "beti bachao, beti padhao" slogan was so prominent but did not apply to the Kuki communities. "The memories of the assault haunted her. She saw their faces. She would remember the colour of the clothes they were wearing that day and could not stop crying," she added.
According to reports, charges against the victim's perpetrators are yet to be framed, and both are currently out on bail. "Until the very end, she was crying for justice. But nobody could give her justice till today. The state and the Indian government have failed us completely," she added.
The press conference held in Delhi was initiated by the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) on the issue of sexual violence against Kuki women in Manipur. Speaking about the broader issue, social activist Glady Vaiephei Hunjan said rape was used against the community.
Dr. Nemthianngai Guite, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), said, "This violence exposed the structural violence which has been happening against minorities and tribal communities since the time of independence."
Gracy Kipgen, a social activist, said that conditions in relief camps are still horrible and people are living with it. The Indian government's silence has only pushed victims to demand a separate administration.
The victim's family was displaced from Imphal, where they had lived for nearly three decades, due to the violence. At least 260 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 displaced since ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023.
Edited By: Elvish Haokip
©The Times of Kukiland
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