Congress MP from Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, has strongly condemned the alleged illegal detention of prominent Manipur women leaders, including Imagi Meira convenor Thokchom Sujata and two others, by Delhi Police on Thursday. The women leaders were reportedly held at a house in New Delhi while they were in the city to participate in a Nupi Lan (Women’s War) memorial event organized by a Delhi-based Manipuri organization.

Taking to social media platform X, Dr. Bimol Akoijam criticized the detention, terming it a “house arrest” and labeling the act as a violation of the women’s rights. He emphasized the irony of the incident, pointing out that the Nupi Lan commemoration celebrates the historic resistance of Manipuri women against feudal and colonial forces in 1939.

“Condemn the illegal detention (house arrest) of well-known women activists from Manipur who came to participate in the commemoration of Nupi Lan in Delhi. It’s against the very purpose of celebrating the indomitable spirit of women signified by the resistance put up by the women in Manipur against the injustices perpetrated by the feudal and colonial forces in 1939,” the MP wrote.

The Nupi Lan memorial event is held annually to honor the contributions of Manipuri women who fought against socio-political injustices during British colonial rule. The detention of the women leaders has sparked criticism and raised questions about the authorities’ approach to democratic freedoms and women’s rights.

Neither the Delhi Police nor other officials have released a statement addressing the incident as of now. Meanwhile, several civil society groups and activists have echoed the MP’s sentiments, demanding the immediate release of the detained women leaders.