Rerun of Manipur assault: 2 women paraded half-naked in Bengal
What's the story
In a shocking incident, two women were allegedly stripped half-naked and assaulted by a mob in West Bengal's Malda district recently.
It took place in the Pakuahat area, but the exact time of the incident is unknown.
It was reminiscent of the May 4 incident in Manipur, where two Kuki women were reportedly paraded naked, the video of which surfaced on Wednesday, triggering outrage.
Details
Women caught by traders on suspicion of theft: Police
The West Bengal Police said the incident happened three to four days ago in Pakuahat after some traders caught two women on suspicion of theft and thrashed them.
Both women later allegedly fled the area without filing any police complaints. There was no complaint from the traders' side either.
However, the police reportedly said they have launched a suo moto probe into the incident.
BJP
BJP targets TMC over incident
The video of the incident surfaced online recently, and it elicited sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which slammed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly failing to prevent such incidents.
BJP I-T department head Amit Malviya, who is also the party's co-in charge for Bengal, termed the incident horrific where a "frenzied mob" bayed "for blood."
Twitter Post
Trigger warning: Video of incident shared by Amit Malviya
The horror continues in West Bengal. Two Tribal women were stripped naked, tortured and beaten mercilessly, while police remained a mute spectator in Pakua Hat area of Bamangola Police Station, Malda.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 22, 2023
The horrific incident took place on the morning of 19th July. The women… pic.twitter.com/tyve54vMmg
Reactions
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee calls incident shocking
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee, who represents Hooghly in the Parliament, termed the incident "shocking" and "horrific."
"It is not [a] matter of states whether Manipur or West Bengal, every daughter of this country deserves respect regardless of politics, caste, and creed," she tweeted.
Notably, Chatterjee was earlier reportedly seen crying on camera while talking about violence against women in Bengal.
TMC's response
TMC accuses BJP of politicizing crime
Meanwhile, the TMC claimed the BJP was giving the incident a political angle.
"The incident where it happened is a haat (marketplace) where ladies caught two alleged thieves and this happened in the fighting. Police tried to stop them. Ladies took law and order in hand, which is wrong. A case has been registered... Why is BJP seeing this in political color," it said.
Manipur
Reminiscent of Manipur's shocking incident
On Wednesday, a video from Manipur surfaced online that showed a group of men groping and parading two naked women.
Some reports also alleged the two victims were later gang-raped too.
As per the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), the shocking incident happened in the state's Kangpokpi district on May 4.
The clip sparked massive outrage among the public, celebrities, and politicians nationwide.