A UK-BASED Indian-origin women's group on Wednesday (26) organised a silent march in London to register their protest against the ongoing violence in the north-eastern state of Manipur.
The Women of North East India Support Network (WNESN) organised a group of men and women wearing face masks to signify silence and carried placards outside the Indian high commission in the capital.
The group then marched towards the Parliament Square to conclude the protest at the statue of iconic Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi opposite the House of Parliament complex.
One social media user said officials used "intimidating tactics" by taking pictures and videos of the protesters in London but that did not deter them from carrying on with their march.
“Together we marched in solidarity to share the pain and anguish of our two Kuki-Zo sisters of Manipur who were paraded naked and gang-raped,” WNESN said in a statement.
The group was formed in 2020 during the pandemic as a community-based women's support network.
Their silent march came in the wake of a video from Manipur that surfaced on social media last week showing two tribal women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted, which sparked shock and outrage.
A relative of one of the women who was allegedly raped in the incident which reportedly took place on May 4, a day after the ethnic clashes started in the state, also joined the protest march and demanded strict punishment for the perpetrators.
A top government functionary said in New Delhi on Thursday (27) that India's elite Central Bureau of Investigation will probe the case of sexual assault on the two women and that no effort will be spared to ensure stringent action against the accused in all heinous crimes in the state hit by ethnic violence.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and the country's Supreme Court also reacted sternly to the incident saying strong action will be taken.
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