The rally on Wednesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Churachandpur, March 8: Less than a week after the uproar over the alleged molestation of a woman from Thoubal in police custody, surcharged Manipur found a new cause celebre in allegations of mass rape by militants in Churachandpur district at the beginning of the year.

Thousands today hit the streets of Churachandpur to protest the alleged rape of 21 girls by members of the militant United National Liberation Front (UNLF) in three villages of Tipaimukh subdivision.

The Joint Women’s Organisation of Churachandpur district brought the alleged incidents, which are supposed to have occurred in January, to the media’s notice.

It said UNLF members sexually assaulted the girls, including a 13-year-old, at Lungthulien, Parbung and another village in Tipaimukh, about 200 km from the district headquarters.

The militant group denied the allegations, but failed to convince the protesters. Tension was in the air during the protest march and the organisers had to repeatedly appeal to the crowd not to indulge in violence. All shops in the district remained closed.

Levis, a 21-year-old girl from Lungthulein, told the media that UNLF members went to her village on January 16 and beat up several male residents. “They then targeted the fairer girls of the village, dragging some of them into the jungle or to nearby houses. All these girls were sexually assaulted.”

Levis, however, said she did not see any of the alleged sexual assaults. “I only heard the girls cry for help and mercy.”

The organisers of the protest march declined to disclose the identities of the girls. “The victims had themselves kept their ordeal a secret, fearing reprisal and social stigma. The matter came to light only after investigation by some NGOs,” said J.L. Sawmi, president of the Hmar Women’s Association and spokesperson for the joint forum of four organisations.

Although none of the “victims” filed an FIR with the police, Churachandpur and Parbung police stations registered 10 suo moto cases.