Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum lists 14 ‘crimes’ in Manipur, appeals for help
"The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised tribes of Churachandpur district in Manipur, has released a list of 14 alleged instances of crimes against Kuki-Zo women during the ongoing unrest. These include the May 4 incident of two women being paraded naked and molested by a mob, a video of which emerged last week. One of the women was allegedly gang-raped. The 16-page document lists atrocities that allegedly took place between May 3, when the violence between Meiteis and Kukis started, and July 6. Both communities have suffered in the unrest, which has claimed at least 152 lives and displaced 60,000 people. ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong told The Telegraph that the atrocities had been documented and made public for possible use by those who want to support the victims, including fighting their cases or writing about their ordeal so that they receive justice. The ITLF spokesperson said that calls could be made to the number, 8826532299, or messages sent to itlfmediacell@gmail.com by those keen on helping the victims. “There were a lot of queries about the crimes committed against women after the video of the two Kuki-Zo women went viral on Wednesday. We thought it would be handy for everyone if we
11 Indian Christians released from jail
A court in a northern Indian state has released 11 Protestant Christians who spent a week in jail after their arrest under the draconian anti-conversion law. A local court in Bahraich district in northern Uttar Pradesh state granted bail to Pastor Babu Ram and 10 others, who were released on July 17. “We are happy that our brothers are released from jail,” said Dinanath Jaiswal, a social worker who helped the Christians in their legal fight. Police arrested them on July 9 during a Sunday service following complaints from activists of the hardline Hindu group, Bajrang Dal (lord Hanuman’s army). The activists forced their way into the prayer hall and accused the pastor and others of being involved in religious conversion, which is a crime under the state's anti-conversion law. The activists called the police who took the pastor and those attending the Sunday prayer service into their custody and produced them before a court. “Thirteen Christian women were also taken into custody by the police. But a local court granted them bail,” Jaiswal told UCA News on July 18. Police charged them with illegal assembly, conspiracy, and criminal intimidation. “It is unfortunate that police keep registering totally fake cases against Christians who are merely attending the Sunday prayer services," Jaiswal said. He said that life has
