Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday said the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur has shaken the conscience of the nation, and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take strict action to restore peace in the state.
The chief minister termed the government's lack of response as “shameful, disgraceful, and criminal,” and called for immediate and thorough criminal investigations into the matter.
“It has often been seen that PM Modi is quiet on such incidents. It is the sign of a weak leader. A courageous leader comes out in the front. It doesn't happen that they shut themselves in a room.
He has been silent (on the issue),” the AAP chief said. Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side. The video was doing the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight. Responding to a media query after an official event at the Thyagaraj Stadium, Kejriwal said “The video that went viral has shaken the conscience of nation.
It is criminal and extremely shameful that there has been violence in the state for more than two months but the government did not take any action. It is with extreme sadness that I have to say that Manipur (government) and Centre are responsible for this”.
Kejriwal also slammed the state government over the incident. “Now that the video went viral only one person has been arrested. The faces of the accused are visible. This shows government's criminal conspiracy, negligence and collusion,” he alleged. When asked about the growing echo for Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh's resignation, he said, “For me, the first priority is to restore peace in the state in whatever way possible. I don't want to do politics over it since it's a very sensitive matter. The prime minister has to come forward to take responsibility. Strict steps have to be taken.”
Later, launching the early childhood care and education (ECCE) kit developed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Delhi and Anganwadi team, Kejriwal said the Delhi government wants to turn Anganwadi into an early childhood learning centre. He said that children will soon be taught moral values and their emotional and psychological needs will be fulfilled at Anganwadi centres.
He further stated that the SCERT has prepared the “best” kit for the Anganwadi children to provide them with a proper early childhood programme.
