Read on Twitter
since every third tweet is about Sachin Pilot: a thread on the Anti-Represssion Day (15th of July, 2004) in Manipur
on this day 12 ema’s of the meira paibis (women’s movement) stood outside the Assam Rifles HQ’s and stripped themselves naked in protest with the banner “Indian Army Rape Us, We are Mother’s of Manorama’ against the brutal sexual assault and killing of Thangjam Manorama (1/n)
Manorama, was a resident of Bamon Kampur village in Manipur, and arrested a little after midnight on 11th July 2004, from her house by men of the Assam Rifles based on the suspicion that she was associated with the People’s Liberation Army (2/n)
The next day her body was found on the outskirts of her village. She was brutally tortured, raped and shot dead, with even automatic rifle bullets fired into her vagina (3/n)
As @pamelaphilipose wonderfully notes in her introduction to Teresa Rahman’s book fruit of labour of interviewing each of the Meira Paibis
the significance of the revolting act was in its spontaneity and surprise that was outside the training manual and SoPs of the Army (4/n)
the significance of the revolting act was in its spontaneity and surprise that was outside the training manual and SoPs of the Army (4/n)
their act of stripping naked not only highlighted the culture of impunity that the militarisation of territory perpetuated but was also important for their refusal to allow the sexual inscription of their bodies (5/n)
In a deep and profound way, it was also them reclaiming agency from being mere victims of the brutality faced over the years to being recognised as thinking, articulate and autonomous individual beings (6/n)
In the same vein, it can also be understood as a clarion call/action for justice and against indignity meted out to their bodies which was capable of feeling and registering pain (7/n)
It’s crucial to not underscore the costs of an act of showing bare bodies in public in patriarchal society where dictates of morality and honour triumph over everything else, and where bodies of women are policed for every waking hour of the day (8/n)
I say this because as Rehman’s book will tell you: some of the mothers’ lost their livelihoods, were shunted out of their homes, rejected by their children and subjected to public shaming for simply standing up for every woman that has been sexually assaulted in the State (9/n)
16 yrs+ have passed since and we still find ourselves living with the state of exception created by the AFSPA without any serious accountability being ensured for giving even a sense of justice to victims of extra-judicial encounters by the state - (10/n)
+ as @sangbarooahpish reports, after J Lokur’s retirement (which had even directed the CBI to register FIRs) the SC bench remains unconstituted and unheard since, https://m.thewire.in/article/law/afspa-manipur-fake-encounter/amp
++ in Nagaland https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/government-declares-entire-nagaland-disturbed-area-for-6-more-months/article31960215.ece/amp/
++ in Nagaland https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/government-declares-entire-nagaland-disturbed-area-for-6-more-months/article31960215.ece/amp/
+++ @AnooBhu excellent reporting for understanding the chronology of the petition pending to be re-heard before the SC. https://m.thewire.in/article/law/manipur-fake-encounters-afspa-army/amp
