In India, a video showing two women being paraded naked by a crowd in the north-eastern state of Manipur, which has seen severe ethnic strife, has prompted anger.
The police said they have initiated a gang rape investigation and have detained one man, adding that others will be caught shortly.
Parliament’s session in Delhi was disrupted on Thursday as legislators requested a debate on the subject.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi further stated that the act “shamed India” and that no one guilty will go unpunished.”
“I assure the nation that the law will take its course with vigour.” “What happened to Manipur’s daughters can never be forgiven,” he declared, breaking his silence on the state more than two months after the violence began.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also expressed concern over the assault, saying the Supreme Court was “deeply disturbed over the video”. Telling the government to inform the court about the steps being taken against the accused, the chief justice said “We will take action if you don’t”.
Deadly violence has plunged Manipur, a scenic Indian state bordering Myanmar, into turmoil for more than two months.
Clashes between members of the majority Meitei and the Kuki tribal communities have resulted in their complete segregation. At least 130 people have died, and 60,000 have been displaced.
The two women, who are Kukis, were assaulted by men of the Meitei group.
Police say the assault on the women took place on May 4, but it made national headlines on Thursday after the video started going viral on social media. The federal government has asked all social media companies to delete the video from their platforms.
The horrific video of the two women was widely shared on social media on Wednesday. It shows them being dragged and groped by a mob of men, who then push them into a field.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) said in a statement that atrocities had been committed in a village in Kangpokpi district against women from the Kuki-Zo tribal community. It was also alleged that the women had been gang raped.
The assault has been condemned by politicians across the spectrum.
Federal Minister Smriti Irani called it “downright inhuman”.
Several opposition leaders also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party government for not doing enough to quell the violence in the state.
Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra said that the “images of sexual violence against women from Manipur are heartbreaking.”.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal weighed in too. “This kind of heinous act cannot be tolerated in Indian society,” he said.
