Zeliangrong Civil Organisations say those involved in assault of 2 girls deserves severe punishment

DIMAPUR — The Zeliangrong Civil Organisations (ZCOs) have said that frequent severe physical assaults perpetrated upon the innocent citizens belonging to communities that are not party to the ongoing conflict between Meiteis and Kukis, including the assault on two helpless Zeliangrong girls namely, Anna Dangmei and Rita Dangmei by ‘some youths suspected to be Arambai Tengol volunteers in collusion with Meitei women folks at Bishnupur’ on December 10, even after clearly established their identities, drawn serious attention of the public.

In a press release issued on Monday, the ZCOs stated that the involvement of women in gruesome physical assault on innocent girls, instead of protecting them, shows “those” women’s true character and mentality.

Terming the attempts to drag the neutral communities into the ongoing conflict by some irresponsible persons as unfortunate and unwise, the civil bodies said such attempts should not be made.

As per the statement of the two victims – Anna and Rita — who work as wardens of Loyala School in Bishnupur, and the driver of Tamenglong Hq-bound passenger taxi, it said “the ordeal meted out to them deserves severe punishment under the relevant provision of law especially for intercepting and taking the girls to an unknown places and kept in confinement for hours in a secluded location is an attempt to outrage their modesty with intention to murder”.

Citing similar physical assaults meted out to others, including ‘two boys from Tamenglong at Kakching district, another two boys from Tamei areas at Sekmai, and students along with their parents coming down to Imphal from Longmai (Noney) at Patsoi,’ the ZCOs urged the state and central governments to control the prevailing situation in Manipur at the earliest.

The ZCOs went on to say that it is high time the government takes up remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such unwanted incidents in future.

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