Chhattisgarh: Tribal body calls for bandh to protest violence against women in Manipur

Jagdalpur: Businesses and shops stayed shut in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division on Monday in support of the bandh called by Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella body of tribal groups in the state, to protest the violence against women in Manipur.

The bandh remained peaceful as no untoward incident was reported from any part of the region, police said.

The tribal-dominated Bastar division in south Chhattisgarh comprises Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma districts.

The bandh was supported by people from all sections of the society to register a strong protest against the barbaric attack on tribal women in Manipur, said Prakash Thakur president of SAS's Bastar division.

The bandh was called by the Bastar division unit of the SAS.

The horrific incident of parading tribal women naked is an insult to the community and has brought shame to the entire nation, he said.

The bandh was supported by the Bastar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Jagdalpur, because of which the business set-ups and shops in Jagdalpur city observed a complete bandh till 2 pm.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the headquarters and cities of other districts in the division.

Schools and essential services such as hospitals, medical stores and ambulances were excluded, and transport services in the region also remained unaffected, it was stated.

More than 160 people have lost their lives since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The May 4 incident, in which two tribal women were paraded naked in Kangpokpi district there, videos of which went viral, has sparked national outrage.