UNMM shows serious concerns over the rise in crime against women
expressed shock and urges govt to punish culprits behind the killing of 23 years old girl
Source: IT News

Imphal, July 15 2020: Showing serious concerns over the death of a 21 years old girl from Bihar state whose body was recovered from the riverbank of Imphal River near Sanjenthong on July 12, and also the simultaneous rise of crime against women and children in the state, the United NGOs Mission Manipur (UNMM) has urged the Governor of Manipur as well as the Chief Secretary to ensure urgent action against the culprits by giving urgent attention to such heinous crime against women and children.

The UNMMM in a statement suspected sexual assault or rape before killing her.

While condemning such brutal inhuman crime, the UNMM said that the entire concerned citizen should carefully note that such an act of crime against women is not the first time in Manipur.

The statement of the UNMM also stated that such systematically targeting innocent women and girl have been continuing since the 1980s when the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act 1958 is in place in Manipur.

It said the UNMM suspects that such act of crime is carried out by a group of people who are the habitual offender or by a group of people who are under the protection from some powerful agencies.

UNMM also further suspects that some powerful agencies are using a group of individuals to kill women.

UNMM suspects that this is part of their experiment to test the capacity of the people in Manipur to react to such crime.

" In many earlier cases, we observed that the cases of rape, rape, and murders were committed by the people who are engaged in counter-insurgency activities.

Such a group of criminals seems to be taking the opportunity of Covid-19 and lockdown to rape and killed women because police and government agencies are busy dealing with Covid19," the statement added.

It further said, on July 7, 2020, a minor girl who was a rape survivor from Langol, Imphal West was taken to hospital from a shelter home due to the suspected health problem but unfortunately, she was dead in the hospital.

The reason for death needs to be further investigated.

The concerned citizens of Manipur are having serious fear of getting justice due to the many challenges in the Criminal Justice System.

Many human rights activists, women activist, victims, and their families are under constant threat, intimidation, harassment, surveillance, arrest, etc.

Now the very urgent question is how the criminal justice system is operating in Manipur.

The rate of the prosecution of the criminal in 2012-13 in Manipur was just 4% and we assumed the rate of prosecution of criminal this year must be less than 10% .

This shows that there is a big problem in the Criminal Justice system of Manipur.

There is a need to pay serious attention to this matter.

Mentioned can be made about the killing of Arambam Shanti at Moreh on 22nd May 2017 by the suspected soldiers of security forces and their closed associates in the broad daylight and at the public place.

Now still the victim's family are waiting for justice and the criminal are not yet arrested.

We are thankful to the police for registering FIR.

However, justice calls for to move beyond it.

There are incidents of killing/murder of women & children during the COVID-19 Pandemic and its lockdown.

There are also cases related to violence against women & children at home and outside.

The secretary-general of United Nations Mr.António Guterres had issued a report stating that during the response of COVID 19, all the member states of UN should ensure the protection and promotion of human rights including the cases of crime against women (rape and murder).

Unfortunately, the human right situation of women and children remain with less attention from the states.

The UNMM called upon the Governor of Manipur Chief Secretary of Manipur Members of the Committee on Women and Children of Manipur Assembly to give urgent attention to arrest the criminal who rapes and killed the woman whose dead body was found on July 12, 2020, near Minuthong, Imphal.

It also urged to call the deport of crime against women especially rape, rape, and murder from the Directorate of Prosecution, Government of Manipur with the details of action taken report and details of the cases delay to arrest the criminals and procedure to take legal action.

The UNMM also urged the Governor of Manipur and Chief Secretary of Manipur to seek the details reports from the Manipur Women Commission about the rape and murder of girl mention above and also detail report of the death of a girl child from Langol, Imphal West on July 7 in the hospital and details of the cases of rape, rape, and murder dealing by the Commission and the progress.

The UNMM also urged to extend the Hon'ble Commission's technical support to build the capacity and functioning of the Manipur Women Commission to protect the lives of the women and promote human right of women in Manipur which is a mandate of the Human Rights Council of UN besides urging to commission a special Team to arrest and investigate the cases of the woman whose dead body was found on July 12 in Imphal River.

It also urged for serious attention to the killing of Arambam Shanti (49 years) w/o A Ibobi which occurred on 22nd May 2017 at around 04.00 p.m.at Moreh, Tengnoupal District of Manipur.

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