NEW DELHI: The horrific video showing two tribal women from being paraded naked by a mob of men in Manipur has sparked outrage among sports and film celebrities. Actors Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Sonu Sood, Richa Chadha, sports icons like Harbhajan Singh and Sakshi Malik along with several others have demanded strict punishment for the perpetrators.
Actor Akshay Kumar took to Twitter expressing his disgust and called for severe punishment for those responsible and hoped that such a harsh punishment would deter anyone from repeating such a horrifying act. “Shaken, disgusted to see the video of violence against women in Manipur. I hope the culprits get such a harsh punishment that no one ever thinks of doing a horrifying thing like this again,” Akshay tweeted.
READ MORE: Ready for debate on Manipur riots in parliament: Govt to opposition
Actress Kiara Advani said that the video had shaken her to the core and demanded swift justice for the victims and the harshest punishment for the culprits. “The video of violence against women in Manipur is horrifying and has shaken me to the core. I pray the women get justice at the earliest. Those responsible must face the most SEVERE punishment they deserve,” she tweeted.
https://twitter.com/advani_kiara/status/1681902678186573824?s=20
Actor Sonu Sood, known for his charity and benevolence, condemned the incident, saying that it was humanity that was paraded, not the women.
https://twitter.com/SonuSood/status/1681876594887991296?s=20
Richa Chadha voiced her anger, describing the incident as shameful, horrific, and lawless.
https://twitter.com/RichaChadha/status/1681701858698461190?s=20
Veteran actor Ashutosh Rana penned a heartfelt note in Hindi on Twitter, emphasizing that whenever a woman falls prey to predators, the entire human race suffers the consequences. He called for all political parties to set aside their differences and unite for the welfare of the nation.
Alia Bhat’s mother Soni Razdan urged the Prime Minister’s Office, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Central government to attend to the Manipur crisis urgently. She made an earnest plea on behalf of the people of Manipur, who are facing brutalization, particularly women, in the most terrible manner.
Kamal Haasan too joined his colleagues to express his concern over the breakdown of constitutional machinery in Manipur, highlighting the severity of the situation.
READ MORE: Country not safe in BJP’s hands: Raghav Chadha on Manipur violence
Among sportspersons, former India spinner and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh demanded capital punishment for those involved in the heinous crime of parading the two Manipuri women naked and allegedly gang-raping them. He expressed his rage and shame at the incident, calling on the government to take immediate action against the perpetrators.
https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1681908541081395202?s=20
Olympian Sakshi Malik, one of the three wrestlers who staged a month long protest over charges of sexual harassment against the government, demanded harshest punishment for the perpetrators following a speedy trial.
“The video from Manipur that has been heart-wrenching to watch keeps haunting my eyes. These monsters who play with the dignity of women must receive the harshest punishment possible. Instead of long trials spanning several years, they should be swiftly brought to justice. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” she said.
Wrestler Babita Phogat also took to Twitter, demanding “swift and severe action should be taken against these enemies of humanity”.
Earlier, Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu and ten other award-winning sportspersons from Manipur, in May, demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to control widespread ethnic riots in Manipur.