‘Not again, - harassment among female IDUs who also involved in Sex work in Manipur!!

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

With the first ever showers of rain for the year arriving along with

the festive spring season – on the fateful rainy mid night of Friday,

the 27th of February 2009 we were seven (7) persons including one

hotel boy sleeping peacefully as usual in rented hotel room which we

normally share our living for the last so many years in a place call

North AOC.

Then, suddenly at around 1:30 am in the middle of the night, we were startled,

surprised and awakened by the loud noises of someone kicking and breaking our

door down. There were four men three

of them are in full Commando attires with Guns and another man dressed

in civilian clothing enter our room and started hitting us in the face

and beating us up without saying anything or giving any reasons.

We were so startled and taken by surprise upon the intrusion and all the sudden

outbursts of both verbal and physical abuses that we were

simply dumbstruck to say or do anything about it. They were also drunk

and they scolded very badly with a violent action saying ‘you whore,

HIV positive’ worthless to survive – who will care if we shoot you all

now, furture said I had more extra bullet on me, I can kill you now!

Then, the four persons ordered and forced us to undress including the

very young (minor under 18 year old boy) and parade before them in

this fashion. We were told to lay down on one bed naked and beaten in

this posture using a cane-stick, using verbal abuses all along.

They also tortured and harassed us physically, fondling our private parts,

putting their handful of fingers inside us and even tried putting the cane-stick

inside our private parts. After being beaten to pulps, we were almost black and

blue from all the torture.

It is also worth mentioning that there is a minor girl among the seven of us.

She is only sixteen (16) and she was almost raped by the four security people if

not for the screams/cries and all the begging/pleading from the rest of us. They

also asked this minor to perform oral sex. Then, they told us to perform oral

sex to the four of them and they will set us free. Since, we declined to this

offer; they tried to have sex with us, the minor in particular.

And at last, after countless efforts and failing to gain our consent, they told

us to give them al lest Rupees (500) Five Hundred for each individual i.e. a sum

of amount Three to four Thousand rupees for all of us to set us free and

threatened us of arrest and kill. Since, we didn’t have or couldn’t afford the

money, we told them honestly that we had only Three Hundred rupees, upon which

they became all the more angry and violent. They ransacked and searched our room

for more money and were infuriated upon their failure. They started to call us

names like “WHORES”, “SHALL WE SHOOT YOU ALL”, “YOU HIV/AIDS POSITIVE WHORES ARE

WORTHLESS AND THERE ARE NO ONE WHO CARES EVEN IF WE KILL YOU ALL RIGHT NOW” etc.

After another round of physical assaults and verbal abuses, we were finally

allowed to get dressed and were led out of our rooms to the main road, kicking

and hitting us all the way till we reach their Police vehicle in which they

came. The vehicle didn’t have any registration plates on it.

We were kicked and forced into the back of the vehicle and drove all

along in the middle of the city and other suburban area for more than

an hour in around 2.30 am, the beatings and abusing didn’t stop even

inside the vehicle at this time.

At last, it was such a relief for all of us when they have ask three options,

whether we want to get down in the suburban area, in the police station or be

killed!

We are so afraid and confuse what to be response – finally we requested them to

drop us at any police station thinking at lest there we will be able to find

female police constable.  Then almost in early morning about 3.00 am we were

taken inside the Imphal West, Central Police Station and handed over to the

Women Police Personals over there.

When these Imphal west Police personals asked them about their identity, they

answered that they were from the Thoubal Police Commando Unit, and this was the

first time only during the whole incident that we were able to know or hear

anything about the four persons.

After they left, we six female spent at least 9 hours in this Imphal west Police

station until our rent/hotel owner came to free and take us back.

The whole incident has left us with massive fear, countless physical

bruises and insecurities. Such incidents happen very frequently but

the past incidents are nothing compared to the degree of harassment

and violence released upon us in this encounter, simply for being

female IDUs & SWs. We feel helpless in the sense that they were all

from the state law enforcement and don’t know how or where to react.

The whole event has left us with a scar so deep that only time can

heal and we’ll carry this scary memory all through the rest of our

lives.• 

Why we have been humiliated and physically abused? It’s for being female??• 

Aren’t there any jurisdictions for the state police agency?• 

Why were there no warrants and why were we not given their proper identities by

these attackers?

There are some certain questions which we would like to raise -

‘To whom so ever, may concern’ How, Where, When and to Whom we may seek support?

We are also human being, we want to live with dignity and rights as other

community people do.

In service,

Bangkim Ch

Imphal

Chingsubam Bangkim

e-mail: <cbangkim@...>