Thangjam Manorama (1971–2004) was a 32-year-old woman from Manipur, India who was killed by the Indian paramilitary unit, 17th Assam Rifles on 11 July 2004. Her bullet-ridden and badly mutilated dead body was found abandoned three kilometers away from her home where she was arrested the night before. She was shot several times. Investigations revealed that she was tortured and raped before being killed but there was involvement of

Assam Rifles The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It guards the Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam rifles is the oldest paramilitary force ...

Disparities in official version

At the time of the arrest, no incriminating items were found, as per the arrest memo. Later it was stated that a grenade and other items had been seized from her home. Assam Rifles claimed that she was shot while trying to escape. However, no blood was found near the body despite six bullet wounds. No soldier was identified as having tried to run or detain her. Given these disparities, a commission of inquiry was set up by the Manipur government in 2004, and submitted its report in Nov 2004. However, the Guwahati High court also looked into the matter and ruled that since the Assam Rifles had been deployed under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the state government did not have jurisdiction over them, and the case should be dealt with by the central government. Thus, the report was never released subject to this judgment.

Protests against the AFSPA

The failure to assign culpability in the alleged rape and murder case led to widespread and extended protests in

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. Five days after the killing, around 30 middle-aged women walked naked through

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

to the

headquarters, shouting: "Indian Army, rape us too... We are all Manorama’s mothers."

Padma Shree Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred ...

author

M. K. Binodini Devi Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi (6 February 1922 - 17 January 2011) was an Indian novelist, short story writer, playwright, lyricist and member of the royal family of Manipur. She published books under the name ''Binodini''. She was best known for h ...

returned her award in protest. Protests have continued in 2004 and over the years. In early 2012, the Justice Varma committee includes measures for reviewing AFSPA as part of a set of steps to reduce violence against women; these measures are partly been attributed to the protests involving Manorama. Recently, in December 2014, in a case filed at Supreme Court of India, the apex court told to government to pay a compensation of Rs. 10 lakhs to Manorama's family. The case was accepted for hearing in the court. It was seen as one of the partial victory, but the doubt remains the same as even in past, compensations were declared for victims of AFSPA, but courts could not spell any judgement against culprits for awarding punishment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manorama, Thangjam People from Manipur 1970 births 2004 deaths Violence against women in India People murdered in India Indian murder victims Indian women in war Women in 21st-century warfare 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people