AAP holds protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over Manipur situation

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday protested at Jantar Mantar here over the situation in ethnic violence-hit Manipur and against incidents of brutality against women in the state.

AAP spokesperson Reena Gupta said that Manipur is not the first place where atrocities against women happened in India.

"There was Unnao, there was Kathua, there was Hathras. When the video (of two women in Manipur being stripped and paraded) went viral, the accused were arrested in hours.

"But in the case of Bilkis Bano, we all know what happened with the accused. While Manipur was burning, the prime minister was touring foreign nations. It angers me that it took three months to bring the perpetrators to justice. We will not allow such incidents to happen again," she said.

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At the protest, Gupta said, "Nobody took responsibility for Manipur, nobody tendered their resignation and this is because they don't respect their mothers and daughters".

"They talk about 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' yet remain mum when such atrocities against two daughters took place," she alleged.

Delhi Cabinet ministers Gopal Rai and Saurabh Bharadwaj were also present at the protest. AAP MLA Dilip Pandey said the opposition is united in its stance against the Manipur situation.

"All opposition leaders and MPs are united in this fight and they have been protesting near the Gandhi statue there (on Parliament premises). Even though they tried silencing Sanjay Singh inside Parliament, they can't silence the truth outside.

"The prime minister is known for his oratory skills but when it comes to Manipur, he remained silent. He is unable to utter a word. Not just the Manipur chief minister, even the home minister should resign after these horrifying incidents in Manipur," Pandey said.

More than 160 people have lost their lives and several injured 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 status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.