The video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur has woken up people to the realities of the dire situation in the northeastern state – eliciting condemnation and questions on the BJP-led state and central governments’ actions to end the violence. 

In a conversation with Newslaundry’s Shivnarayan Rajpurohit, BJP Kuki MLA Paolienlal Haokip spoke about the crime against women in Manipur, the central government’s actions and the root cause of the conflict. He also delved into the role of police in the tensions, and the road to peace.   

The BJP MLA from Saikot in Manipur’s Churachandpur district said he believes that prime minister Narendra Modi has “misplaced priorities”, adding that he and several other MLAs from Manipur have been still trying to meet with the PM. However, he also said that he is still optimistic that the central government can bring peace to the state.  

Haokip said, in a war, rape and molestation are the worst of human rights violations, and they show depravity. He detailed more instances of crime against women in Manipur, which were also highlighted by a group of 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs.

Watch.