Mumbai, 21st July 2023: After a video leaked showing two women from the Kuki-Zomi clan being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur, stars Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor responded furiously to the state’s appalling violence against women.
The crime occurred on May 4, and while a FIR was filed two months ago charging “unknown armed miscreants” with kidnapping, gangrape, and murder, police did not take anything until the video surfaced.
Priyanka wrote on her Instagram story, “It took a video going viral… 77 days after the heinous crimes were committed… Before actions were taken. Rationale? Reasons? None matter–irrespective of what and why, situational or circumstantial, we cannot allow women to be pawns in any games.”
Priyanka Chopra is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador who advocates for women’s safety. In her statement, the star also urged residents to unite their voices in support of fast justice, writing, “The collective shame and anger needs to be channelled now in a unified voice for just one thing- swift justice.”
Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan also commented on the horrific incident and wrote on her Instagram stories, “Deeply disturbed with the situation in Manipur. All words of condoning the crimes means nothing until action is taken. Swiftly.”
Actors Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Sonu Sood, Richa Chadha, and Renuka Shahane, among others, reacted to the horrifying footage earlier on Thursday. Celina Jaitly, an actress, also took to Twitter to demand that the government take harsh punishment against those engaged in the crime.
She wrote on Twitter, “I am unable to sleep or eat since I saw the #Manipur_Violence videos few hours ago. Shaking with anger, pain and anger again. Violence is violence…. Ethnic, non ethnic, whatever the reason violence is violence and violence against women isn’t cultural, it’s criminal.”
She finally concluded by saying, “Protection of women and children should be utmost priority of authorities. To see this heinous, barbaric crime against women has shaken me to the core, I urge the government and I have faith in the government that they take such stringent action that no one dares even in their wildest dreams to think of ever attempting anything like this ever again!!!
