The violence and clashes in Manipur, prompted by the tensions between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribe, is now seeing women emerge as the true face of the disturbances in the state. The ‘naari shakti’ in Manipur is seeing a unique portrayal, where women are the ones taking the limelight.
Though most violent protests and massive movements see men at the center of the disturbances, women have soon emerged to be the face of the disruptions in Manipur, especially in the most recent mob incident with the Indian Army.
A mob of 1500 people, led by women in Manipur, cornered the India Army in Imphal which eventually led the officials to hand over 12 militants belonging to the group Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), deeming their earlier operation to nab the men unsuccessful.
However, this is not the first time the women in Manipur have taken matters into their own hands when it comes to clashing with the authorities. A day before the militants were released, a group of women had blocked the Army personnel from reaching a spot where miscreants were firing and creating disturbances in Kangpokpi and Yaingangpokpi.
The authorities had also informed of an incident which occurred last week, where a CBI team was prevented from reaching the Manipur Police Training College in Pangei, Imphal East in the midst of an ongoing investigation regarding looting of weapons from the armory.
Not just in Manipur, but women were the ones who the leading the protests in Delhi outside Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence as well as in Jantar Mantar, launching a movement against the violence caused by the clashes between the Meiteis and the Kukis.
Manipuri women have taken the lead when it comes to assembling on the streets in the midst of the current disturbances in the state. The women leading the protests have also been extremely vocal in their criticism of the state government as well as the Centre, prompting the authorities to end this continuing bout of violence.
READ | Why Manipur violence is still not resolved? Standoff between female mob and army; know what happened
