Manipur parading incident: 'Fought for country but couldn't protect wife,' says Kargil veteran

In Manipur, a horrifying video has recently surfaced, causing widespread outrage and drawing attention to the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state. The video showed two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked and assaulted by a mob from the opposing side.

One of the victims was the wife of a Kargil war veteran, who had bravely fought for his country but found himself helpless in protecting his wife from this horrific ordeal. The incident took place in Thoubal district of Manipur, where the veteran resides. Following the incident, the police arrested four individuals, including one of the two men seen assaulting the women in the video. They have been remanded to 11-day police custody.

The Kargil veteran, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, expressed his anguish over the incident. Despite having served his country and risked his life in the Kargil war, he was unable to protect his wife from the brutal assault.

Speaking about the disturbing incident, he said: "I fought for the nation in the Kargil war and was also in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. I protected the nation but am dejected that after my retirement, I could not protect my home, my wife and fellow villagers."

He expressed his sadness about the incident while talking to a Hindi news channel and further said that he was “depressed" to see the horrific incident. He further asked authorities to take action against the accused. "Police were present but took no action. I want all those people who burnt the houses and humiliated the women to get exemplary punishment," he said.

“I have seen the war fighting in the front at Kargil. And when I have returned home (after my retirement), my own place is more dangerous than the battlefield,” he told Times of India.

"They came to our village and started burning down houses. All the villagers tried to flee to save their lives and my wife got separated from me. She and four other villagers hid in the forest. Some of the attackers, who entered the village chasing our pigs and poultry, found them hiding there," he added.

"I could see them taking my wife and the others to a distance," he said.

The video's emergence led to an immediate backlash, with an agitated mob burning down the house of the main accused. The incident has brought renewed attention to the months-long violence in Manipur, which has left more than 130 people dead and over 35,000 displaced. The conflict, primarily over access to government benefits, has pitted two communities against each other, leading to a bloody standoff.

The incident prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make his first public comments about the situation in Manipur. He described the incident as a "shameful" one for any civilized society and an "insult" to the entire nation.

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