Actors Akshay Kumar, Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Dutt and Kiara Advani on Thursday expressed shock over a May 4 video of two tribal women being paraded naked in strife-hit Manipur and demanded punishment for the perpetrators of the "horrifying" incident.
Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after the video surfaced on Wednesday. It was doing the rounds on the eve of a planned protest march announced by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) on Thursday to highlight their plight.
Read: Home Minister Amit Shah speaks to Manipur CM after video of two women being paraded naked surfaces
The Northeastern state has been seeing ethnic violence since May 3 and several fatalities have been reported.
Akshay said he is "shaken and disgusted" to see the video of violence against women in Manipur.
"I hope the culprits get such a harsh punishment that no one ever thinks of doing a horrifying thing like this again," the actor wrote on Twitter.
Shaken, disgusted to see the video of violence against women in Manipur. I hope the culprits get such a harsh punishment that no one ever thinks of doing a horrifying thing like this again.
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 20, 2023
Actor-politician Urmila said it was shocking how "no action" was taken by the authorities in an incident that took place in May.
"Shocked, shaken, horrified at #manipur video n fact that it’s happened in May with no action on it. Shame on those sitting on their high horses drunk with power, jokers in media boot licking them, celebrities who r silent. When did we reach here dear Bharatiyas/Indians? (sic)" she tweeted.
Shocked,shaken,horrified at #manipur video n fact that it’s happened in May with no action on it. Shame on those sitting on their high horses drunk with power,jokers in media boot licking them,celebrities who r silent. When did we reach here dear Bharatiyas/Indians?
— Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) July 20, 2023
Advani said she is praying that the women get justice at the earliest.
"The video of violence against women in Manipur is horrifying and has shaken me to the core... Those responsible must face the most SEVERE punishment they deserve," she wrote on Twitter.
The video portraying violence against women in Manipur was shocking and sickening, added Dutt.
"My utmost hope is for the culprits to be punished with the utmost severity, sending a clear message that such despicable actions will not be tolerated in any circumstance," the actor said.
Police said a case of abduction, gangrape and murder has been registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed miscreants.
The Manipur Police on Thursday arrested one of the main accused who was seen in a May 4 video of two tribal women being paraded naked and molested by a mob at a village in Senapati district, officials said.
Actor Richa Chadha termed the incident "shameful, horrific, and lawless".
Renuka Shahane questioned if there was "no one to stop the atrocities" in Manipur.
"If you are not shaken to the core by that disturbing video of two women, is it even right to call oneself human, let alone Bharatiya or Indian," Shahane tweeted.
Stop asking why he’s quiet.
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) July 20, 2023
Surely, you don’t expect the very people who caused the strife to speak/act against it.#Manipur
"Stop asking why he’s quiet. Surely, you don’t expect the very people who caused the strife to speak/act against it. #Manipur," composer Vishal Dadlani wrote on the microblogging site.
Actor Riteish Deshmukh said he is "seething with anger".
"No man should go unpunished for such crime. Attack on the dignity of a woman is an attack on humanity itself," he said.
Commenting on the incident, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri tweeted: "We are a failed society."
Addressing the reporters ahead of the Monsoon Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said law will act with its full might on the incident of women being paraded naked in Manipur.
The Supreme Court directed Centre and Manipur government to take immediate steps and apprise it on what action has been taken on the video.
Delhi Commission For Women chief Swati Maliwal said she will write to the prime minister and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, demanding strict action in the case of two women paraded naked by some men in the ethnic violence-hit state.