Despite the state administration apparently refusing to grant her permission for the trip, DCW president Swati Maliwal said on Sunday that she will be traveling to the conflict-ridden Manipur.
The head of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said on Saturday that the Manipur government had refused to allow her go there to meet with sexual assault victims.
Maliwal claimed in a tweet on Sunday that she had written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh requesting an urgent meeting while she was there. By midday, she ought to be in Imphal.
The Manipur Government advised me to postpone my trip because of the law and order situation. After giving their idea some thought, we have chosen to go to Imphal as scheduled. requested the Manipur CM’s time. Will see him and ask him to accompany us on our visit to the victims of sexual assault,” Maliwal tweeted.
Maliwal also sent a copy of a letter she wrote to the chief minister of Manipur on Sunday, pleading with him to make arrangements for her visit while assuring him that she would not take any actions that might endanger the state’s administration.
“I urgently want a meeting with your eminence to address the grave problem of sexual assault cases and human rights abuses in Manipur. Many Manipuri women have fled the continuing violence in the state by traveling to Delhi. She said in the letter, “I desire to address matters pertaining to their wellbeing as well with your hon’ble self.
She also asked the CM for help in going to the camps for victims of violence where the sexual assault victims are now housed.
“I humbly ask you to provide the cops instructions to make my visit easier. I want your eminent assistance in helping me support the sisters of Manipur as a fellow citizen of our nation and the head of a statutory organization that defends women and girls. During my visit to the state, I promise that I won’t do anything that will cause trouble for your government.
I pledge to do all in my power to assist the Manipur Government in fulfilling its responsibility to uphold the rights and dignity of the state’s women and girls, she added.
Maliwal said that the country was appalled by the footage of the inhumane acts committed against women and girls in Manipur and that she wanted to check on them and help them.
According to the head of DCW, she wrote to Singh on July 20 and the head of the Manipur Police on July 21 reporting her travel to the region to speak with victims of sexual assault.
“A letter dated July 21, 2023, was addressed to DM Imphal, who sent it to the Joint Secretary for Housing with the plea to provide the undersigned (Maliwal) and her team the required help. The DM also provided us with the contact information for the Joint Secretary (Home), who verified that we could fly to Manipur and would get all the assistance we need to visit the relief camps. We then organized our trip to Imphal,” Maliwal said in the letter.
To consider delaying our visit in light of the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur, the Joint Secretary (Home) emailed us unexpectedly, she added.
Five males have been detained by the Manipur Police, and a juvenile has also been taken into custody, in relation to the nude parade of two women that took place on May 4 in the state’s Kangpokpi district, according to authorities.
