On International Women's Day: Rising crimes against women worry RPF
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 07, 2014: The proscribed RPF has expressed serious concern over the rising crime rate against women in Manipur.

In spite of all the measures and efforts toward extensive education and emancipation of women, Manipuri women have been suffering all kinds of injustices primarily because Manipur is under alien rule, said a press release issued by the outfit's Publicity Secretary Roben Khuman on the occasion of International Women's Day (March 8). Even as Manipuri women have earned their names in the fields of art and culture, and sports at international level, their status and condition in other areas are only degenerating.

Rights and status enjoyed by Manipuri women as decision makers in the socio-political sphere were forfeited once Manipur was allegedly annexed into the Indian Union.

After the alleged annexation, Manipur was brought under India's cultural sphere of influence apart from putting the ancient kingdom within its political map.

When this cultural invasion succeeds in totally obliterating and uprooting the indigenous culture, India's cultural imperialism would be complete.

There is an unbridgeable gap between Manipuri women and Hindu women of India when seen from their respective cultural perspectives.

Caste system and social stratification being the basic social structure of Hinduism, women are discriminated and treated as slaves of men.

This is a perfect example of a totalitarian society.

Gender discrimination rose its ugly head in Manipur in the 19th century and it reached its peak in the 20th century.

Starting from this period, Manipuri women too were made a subject of discrimination and ill-treatment.

This was not the real picture and ideal of Manipuri women.

Manipuri women were masters of their own life and equal partners of their husbands.

But after Manipur was brought under India where women are allegedly treated not better than slaves, Manipuri women's collective ideal of being free and unbonded masters of their own life came under sharp attack and Manipuri women particularly Meitei women were ingrained with the Hindu philosophy of women being inferior.

The ever increasing crime and violence against seen in Manipuri society today is a result of indoctrination in Hindu philosophy, asserted the outfit.

Even today, women are neglected in India when it comes to providing healthcare and education.

United Nations Development Programme rated India's female literacy and living standard very poorly.

Male-female literacy ratio of India and Manipur is quite similar during the period 1951 -2011. Like in India, cases of violence against women have been increasing every year.

The year 2005 recorded 117 cases of violence against women.

The figure jumped to 247 in 2011 and 251 in 2012.In tandem with the rising cases of violence against women, the degree of brutality has also been growing.

What is more worrisome is the failure of Indian laws and their custodians in checking violence against women.

Reluctance to take up necessary action until there is a mass protest only encourages the criminal elements.

Failure to book and punish culprits in time has been multiplying criminal cases, the outfit asserted while citing the particular of the rape and murder of a mother-daughter duo at Phayeng some 7/8 years back.

After Manipur was put in the political and cultural map of India, a fear psychosis has been created in the minds of all Manipuri women.

The situation is such that women feel insecure even to step outside their homes.

The recent cases of rape, murder, molestation and assault on Manipuri women at Delhi were manifestation of Indian men's discriminatory attitude towards women.

Enhancing security measures, improving policing activities or accelerating justice delivery system can never do away with the practice of gender discrimination and violence against women even if they can give some temporary solutions.

The issue would persist and fester until and unless Indian's traditional outlook and understanding of women are erased completely.

But it would be impossible to remedy this socio-political malady during the period of next two/three generations for racism has been running in the veins of Indian people for the past thousands of years.

Manipuri society too need to build up its own ideals and change its outlook.

But until and unless Manipur remains under India's cultural sphere of influence, Manipuri women's lost identity and ideals cannot re-discovered.

Given this situation, it is crucial for Manipuri people to struggle and walk out from the political and cultural map of India and the only way to free Manipuri people from India's political and cultural dominance is the RPF's armed campaign.

Its time for all the people of Manipur to accept it as a bounden responsibility, and support and join the liberation movement, it added.

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