Bollywood actors react to May 4 video of two women parading naked in Manipur

Actors Akshay Kumar, Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Dutt and Kiara Advani on Thursday expressed shock at a May 4 video of two tribal women parading naked in conflict-ridden Manipur and demanded that the perpetrators of the “horrible” incident be punished.

Tensions rose in the hills of Manipur after the video was released on Wednesday. He was making the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight.

Read: Home Minister Amit Shah addresses Manipur CM after video of two women parading on bare surfaces

The North Eastern state has been experiencing ethnic violence since May 3 and several deaths have been reported.

Akshay said he was “shaken and disgusted” to see the video of violence against women in Manipur.

“I hope the culprits will be punished so severely that no one will ever think of doing such a horrible thing again,” the actor wrote on Twitter.

Shaken, disgusted to see the video of violence against women in Manipur. I hope the culprits will be punished so severely that no one will ever think of doing such a horrible thing again.

Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 20, 2023

Actor and politician Urmila said it was shocking that “no action” was taken by authorities in an incident in May.

“Shocked, shaken, horrified by the #manipur video and the fact that it happened in May without action. Shame on those who sit on their high power-drunk horses, on the jokers in the media who lick them, on the celebrities who are silent. When did we reach here dear Bharatiyas/Indians? (sic),” she tweeted.

Shocked, shaken, horrified #manipur video n fact that it happened in May without action. Shame on those who sit on their high horses drunk with power, on the jokers in the media who lick them, on the celebrities who keep silent. When did we come here, dear Bharatiyas/Indians?

Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) July 20, 2023

Advani said she was praying for the women to get justice soon.

“The video of violence against women in Manipur is horrifying and has shaken me to my core… Those responsible must face the STRONGER punishment they deserve,” she wrote on Twitter.

The video depicting violence against women in Manipur was shocking and sickening, Dutt added.

“My greatest hope is that the culprits will be punished with the utmost severity, sending a clear message that such despicable actions will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the actor said.

Police said a case of kidnapping, gang rape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed miscreants.

Manipur police on Thursday arrested one of the main defendants who was seen in a May 4 video of two tribal women parading naked and being assaulted by a mob in a village in Senapati district, officials said.

Actor Richa Chadha called the incident “shameful, horrific and lawless”.

Renuka Shahane asked if there was “anyone to stop the atrocities” in Manipur.

“If you are not shaken by this disturbing video of two women, is it even fair to call yourself human let alone Bharatiya or Indian,” Shahane tweeted.

Stop asking why he’s silent.

You certainly don’t expect the very people who caused the conflict to speak out/act against it.#Manipur

Vishal Dadlani (@VishalDadlani) July 20, 2023

“Stop asking why he is silent. Surely you don’t expect the very people who caused the strife to speak out/act against. #Manipur,” composer Vishal Dadlani wrote on the microblogging site.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh said he was “boiling with anger”.

“No man should go unpunished for such a crime. An attack on a woman’s dignity is an attack on humanity itself,” he said.

Commenting on the incident, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri tweeted: “We are a bankrupt company”.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the monsoon session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the law would act with full force on the incident of women marching naked in Manipur.

The Supreme Court ordered the Central and Manipur government to take immediate action and inform it of the action taken regarding the video.

The head of the Delhi Women’s Commission, Swati Maliwal, said she would write to the Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, demanding strict action in the case of two women paraded naked by men in this state affected by ethnic violence.