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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi PA

Women in India burn down house of man accused of parading women naked in street

The state’s chief minister has said the death penalty may be considered for men who paraded two women naked in a street.

A GROUP OF women in India have set fire to the house of a man accused of parading two women naked in the northeastern state of Manipur where months of ethnic violence have left at least 120 dead.

A clip on Wednesday showed two women said to be from the Kuki tribal group walking naked along a street, being jeered at and harassed by a mob reportedly from the Meitei community.

The Chief Minister of Manipur has said that “strict action” will be taken against perpetrators of the incident, including the possibility of the death penalty. 

Violence erupted between the mainly Christian Kuki and the predominantly Hindu Meitei in May over job quotas and land rights, and intermittent clashes have continued since.

The footage of the event, which reportedly happened in May, triggered outrage across the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it had “shamed India”.

Police arrested four suspects yesterday. The same day, a group of women activists threw stacks of hay into the house of one of the men in Imphal and set it on fire.

As the fire raged, the women — members of the Meitei community, like the accused — broke down the walls and roof of the house with sticks.

India is generally traditionalist, conservative and patriarchal, but the Meitei have a history of women’s activism, with women having a more prominent role in society than elsewhere.

The video sparked protests across India today with demonstrators calling for the state’s chief minister to step down over the delay in taking action.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday that the country has been “shamed” by the video.

Speaking publically about the Manipur clashes for the first time since they erupted in May, Modi said his “heart is filled with pain and anger”.

“The Manipur incident is shameful for any civilised society,” Modi told reporters. “It has shamed the whole nation.”

India’s Supreme Court warned Modi’s government yesterday that if it does not act, “we will”.

Authorities in Manipur, led by the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said police had taken action as soon as the video surfaced on social media.

A “thorough investigation” was under way, the state’s chief minister N. Biren Singh tweeted yesterday.

“We will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment,” he added.

The Manipur violence came after the Kuki community protested Meitei demands for reserved public job quotas and college admissions as a form of affirmative action, stoking long-held fears that they might also be allowed to acquire land in areas currently reserved for tribal groups.

Homes and churches were torched, with tens of thousands of people fleeing to government-run camps.

D. Y. Chandrachud, chief justice of India’s Supreme Court, said the abuse of the women seen in the video was “simply unacceptable”.

Legal newsite Bar and Bench quoted Chandrachud as saying that if the government “does not act, we will”.

© Agence France-Presse

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    Mute Starburst
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    Feb 9th 2013, 8:51 AM

    Mainstream for all deaf children is not the answer. There is specialised school such as st.josephs school and residence in cabra, on the same grounds where the new Deaf village is. Some Deaf children can realise their true potential among their peers.. If your child is isolated within their class, this is a valid option

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    Mute Ian
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    Feb 9th 2013, 9:20 AM

    Great..lump them all into the one place..out of sight..out of mind!,, what nonsense..there is a hearing problem in my family. We all went to mainstream education and all got good grades in the leaving. And all it took was some small tweaking with how we were thought. There is a stigma surrounding hearing, and much of it is unwarranted. Yes some profoundly deaf people may have learning problems that need more additional support than the support we got, but it doesn’t mean that they have so be excluded from society. Ive never heard of IDK before now, and i wish the all the success that they deserve. Great idea

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    Mute Abi Dennis
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    Feb 9th 2013, 11:53 AM

    School in cabra isnt great if you live well outside of dublin

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    Mute Starburst
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    Feb 9th 2013, 10:23 AM

    Yeah the west too. It is boarding and free!. Both my parents went to the specialised schools and have a fantastic network of life long friends as a result. As I aid it is an option not a necessity. From my point of view the children are not lumped in. But nurtured and educated together. Isolation in a mainstream school happens in the school yard also.

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    Mute Caroline Carswell
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    Feb 10th 2013, 11:38 AM

    One size does not fit all, in deaf education. Having multiple school placement options is vital, as some children thrive better in one setting than in another. Lifelong friends are also gained in mainstream school, as most past pupils from this environment will confirm. Everyone has a different start in life, and with varied education options, a child and their family are best placed to find the school to suit their needs. And importantly – schoolmates in a mainstream setting meet and interact with the deaf/hard of hearing student/s, which might otherwise not happen.

    Many thanks to Michelle Hennessy and the Journal.ie for highlighting some of the issues in this piece.

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    Mute Brendan
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    Feb 9th 2013, 9:20 AM

    Valid for people in the west too, yeah?

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    Mute Julie Anne Cunneen
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    Feb 10th 2013, 8:36 PM

    Isolation can happen in any setting even in special schools like the ones in Dublin. As Abi Dennis said above special schools are great but can be very isolating if you live outside of Dublin. Children were isolated from their families and their communities and in most cases learned to communicate in ISL where they could only communicate with other ISL users. In my own case my parents choose not to send me to Dublin from my home in Cork. They felt that Mainstream was the best option. And yes at times it was isolating and a bit lonely, but this can be the same for any deaf person. It can extend into third level and on into social lives and employment. And again this can effect all deaf people in some way. ISL is not always available to deaf people, they will not always be around other ISL users. It about educating our children, and I have a profoundly deaf child, to understand that they have to speak up for themselves and overcome this Isolation. They have to develop a strong voice to tell people how they are feeling isolated and what people can do to include them. This is the same for all deaf children and young adults. Its about empowerment

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    Mute John F
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    Feb 9th 2013, 10:13 AM

    What?

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    Mute Amy Wilson
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    Aug 21st 2013, 2:44 PM

    Nice read! Such type of dearness awareness programs and seminars should be conducted s that people can know the facts regarding dearness. My small child is suffering from hearing loss so I always curious to attend these seminars where I come to know various useful information regarding hearing loss. Recently I attended a seminar conducted by Hidden Hearing in Ireland. In this seminar some hearing heath specialists shared their views and helpful information.

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