Manipur women inside naked assault video wey go viral say dem ‘no go give up'

Six months afta dem dey stripped, paraded naked and allegedly gang raped by one mob for north-east India, two women, wey dia video go viral tok to BBC for dia first face-to-face interview. Dem tok about how dem dey live and hide, dia fight for justice and dia call for separate administration for dia community.

Warning: Dis article include tins wey describe sexual violence.

At first, all I see na dia lowered eyes.

Big black masks hide Glory and Mercy faces and scarves cover dia foreheads.

Di two Kuki-Zomi women no want make anybodi see dem. But dem want make pesin here dem.

Di matta dey filmed and shared online. Na disturbing watch. Less dan one minute long, e show one mob of men from di majority Meitei community for Manipur state dey waka around two naked women, dem push, press dem, and den begin drag dem to one field wia dem say dem bin gang rape dem.

"I bin dey treated like animal," Glory tok, as she break down. "E dey hard enof to live wit dat trauma, but den two months later wen di video of di attack bin go viral, I almost lost all hope to kontinu to live," she add.

"You sabi how Indian society dey, how dem dey look women afta dat kain incident,"Mercy tok. "I find am hard to face oda pipo, even for my own community. My pride don go. I no go ever be di same again."

Di video bin amplify dia suffering but e also become evidence of injustice sake of say e bin bring attention to di ethnic clashes between di Meitei and Kuki communities wey break out for Manipur for May. But while di video bin spark serious vex and cause action, di spotlight bin make di women draw back further.

Bifor dia attack, Glory ne student and Mercy dey fill her days by taking care of her two young pikins, help dem wit homework and go to church. But afta di attack both women need run to different town wia dem dey live for hiding.

Dem dey stay indoors now. Restricted to di walls of dia temporary home, Mercy no longer dey go church or carry her pikins dem go school by herself.

"I no tink say I go ever dey able to live like I dey live bifor," she tok. "I dey find am hard to step out of di house, I dey fear and shame to meet pipo."

Glory feel di same and tell me say she too still dey "for plenty trauma", dey fear to meet pipo and dey afraid of crowds.

Counselling don help dem but di anger and hate don soak deep. Dem don decide to speak up to try make sure say no oda woman ever dey treated like dis again.

Six months ago, Glory bin dey study for one mixed class of Meitei and Kuki students for college wia she get lots of friends, but now she say she neva wan see anoda Meitei pesin again.

"I no go ever go back to my village. I bin grow up dia, na my home, but to live dia go mean say I go interact wit neighbouring Meiteis and I never ever wan meet dem again," she tok. Mercy hands fold and she hit di table as she agree.

Wen dia village dey attacked and everyone bin run for dia life, di mob pull Glory papa and younger comot and kill dem.

"I see dem die for my front," she tok am softly. She describe how she bin need to leave dia deadi body for di field as she try defend herself.

She tell me say she no even fit go to look for dem now. Since di violence start, no crossover between di Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities for Manipur. Pipo dey divided by one de facto border, wey line wit checkpoints wit police dia, army and di two communities' volunteers.

"I no even sabi which morgue dia bodies dey keep and I no fit go and check," she tok. "Make di goment hand dem over to us."

Wetin happun for Manipur?

Mercy husband describe how houses and di village church dey set on fire for di attack.

"I bin call di local police, but dem say we no fit help, our police station also dey under attack," e tok. "I bin see one police van for road, but dem too no do anytin.

"I feel sad and angry sake of say I no get power to do anytin. I no dey able to save my wife or di villagers. Dat one dey break my heart," e tok. "Sometimes I dey hurt wen I tink about everitin wey don happun, covered by grief and anger, I feel like to kill peisn."

Two weeks afta di attack, e bin file one complaint wit di police, but no action dey taken until di video dey out for July. Police sources don tell BBCsay dem don suspend di officer wey bin dey in charge and four odas till dem investigate.

Di widespread vex wey bin follow di release of di video force di Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make im first statement on di violence. Dat one dey followed by di arrest of seven men wey now don dey charged wit gang rape and murder.

Glory, Mercy and her husband tell me say dem get strength from di messages of support wey pour in since di video of di attack begin go round online.

"Without di video, no-one for don believe di truth, understand our pain," Mercy husband tok.

Mercy still dey get nightmares and dey fear to tink about di future, especially for her pikins. "E dey weigh me down so much, di thought say we get nothing to pass on to dem, everitin don go," she tok.

Glory explain say dem want one separate administration for dia community. "Dat na di only way to live safely and peacefully," she tok.

Di Kuki pipo don make controversial demand many times but e dey against Meitei community. Di state chief minister, wey be from Meitei, don repeatedly call for one unified Manipur.

Glory and Mercy get little faith for di local goment and accuse am dem say dem dey bias against dia community but di state goment don deny dis allegations.

Di chief minister, N Biren Singh, no respond wen BBC put di allegations to am, but for one recent interview wit di Indian Express e tok: " No bias for my heart or my work."

Di video also become di moment wey di Supreme Court bin take note of di ethnic clashes and recommend say all cases of violence to dey handed to independent investigative agencies, like di Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Di top court don ask make di state goment identify di deadi body of pipo wey die and return dem to dia next of kin.

Looking to di future, Glory hope to resume her studies for different college so she go fit pursue her dream to become army or police officer. "My settle don strengthen to work for everyone for one unbiased manner," she tell me. "And I wan justice, at all costs… na also why I dey speak up, so no woman go dey harmed again di way I dey."

Mercy tell me say "as tribal women we dey strong, we no dey give up" and as we get up to leave, she tok say she get one message.

"I wan to tell all mamas of all communities make dem teach dia children, no matter wetin happun, never disrespect women."

Di names of di two women change for dis article.