Manipur video: Bengal intellectuals stunned, call it shameful

Kolkata: The video of two women being paraded naked by a mob in a village in violence-rocked Manipur has stunned the civil society in far away West Bengal, which termed the incident "shameful".

The incident was decried by filmmakers and painters alike in Kolkata, considered the country's cultural capital by many.

Filmmaker and activist Aparna Sen broke down when asked by reporters for her reaction and described the incident as "narimedh yagna" (woman sacrifice).

"I don't know what to say or how to react to such a happening ... All I can see is a narimedh yagna has taken place (in Manipur). Will it matter if I open my mouth? We have been giving our opinions for years. Have those mattered? she said on Thursday.

Sen, director of socially sensitive films like 'Mr and Mrs Iyer', '36 Chowringhee Lane' and 'Ghare Baire Aaj' among others, went on to add "I don't know if we will be allowed to voice our grievances openly in the coming days."

Popular Bengali actor Parambrata Chatterjee told PTI that the video has "stunned" him into silence. "I cannot believe that it actually happened when I see it. I shudder to think that this could have actually occurred in a civilised society. What has disturbed me mentally and shocked me more is that such an incident could happen in my country."

He continued, "For months we have been hearing about the situation in Manipur. Day after day we hear reports about brutalities, which are unthinkable and unimaginable. And now this video. I sometimes wonder where we are heading to".

Asked whether intellectuals will collectively issue a statement, Chatterjee, who has earned his place in the Hindi film industry and has directed a couple of films, said, "You know my reaction. Consider it as my official statement ... I don't know if our (intellectuals) protests against such brutalities will be like crying in the wilderness (aranyae rodan)".

Well-known painter Samir Aich said the shocking visuals of Manipur in the video, which surfaced on July 19 are a "blot" on the country. "It makes us wonder if we can take pride that the situation in our country is better than in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan."

Flagging the violence ahead and during the recent panchayat poll in West Bengal, the artist said, "The regimes in both states (Manipur and West Bengal) are looking away as vested interests are pitching ordinary people against each other and engaging them in conflicts to suit their own political aspirations. Only the colours of the ruling parties differ. The general people become victims."

Aich said rights group Association for Protection of Democratic Rights has already organised a meeting in the city where the people condemned the violence in unequivocal terms. More such events are in the offing.

"Sane voices are losing out in the country on the face of the sheer audaciousness of power at the cost of dignity and physical violation of women, besides loot, attack and murder. But the intelligentsia must keep protesting," he said.

The incident seen in the 26-second video took place in a Manipur village on May 4, a day after violence broke out in the state against the demand for ST status by Meiteis.

The video surfaced online on July 19 after the internet ban in the northeastern state was lifted, sparking nation-wide outrage.

Four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, official sources said in Imphal on Thursday.

More than 160 people have lost their lives and several others have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3.