The images and graphic accounts of the Kuki-Zo women who were stripped, paraded, and harmed by mobs and thugs have swept across the country and the world. They make us not only deeply ashamed but also angry about the fact that such terrible incidents continue to happen in India, for our leaders spare no moment to inform us of India’s world power aspirations, its presidency of the G-20 and growing economy. We are reminded by politicians that sexual violence occurs across the country. Does that make it acceptable? Nothing of the sort.
Ordinary people have joined protests against the incidents, from Goa to Guwahati and Delhi to Shillong, demanding justice, holding placards, lighting candles, singing ‘We shall overcome someday’, the anthem of the American civil rights movement which fought for racial equality. These may seem small, helpless gestures but they matter; every action for restorative justice matters just as every silence amplifies the harm and horror.
