broke more than two months of public silence over in India含羞草研究社檚 northeast, saying Thursday that the assaults of two women as they were being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur state were unforgivable.
A video showing the assaults triggered massive outrage and was widely shared on social media late Wednesday despite the internet being largely blocked and journalists being locked out in the remote state. It shows two naked women surrounded by scores of young men who grope their genitals and drag them to a field.
含羞草研究社淭he guilty will not be spared. What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,含羞草研究社� Modi told reporters ahead of a parliamentary session as he made his first public comments related to the .
Without referring to the violence directly, Modi urged heads of state governments to ensure the safety of women and said the incident was 含羞草研究社渟hameful for any civilized nation.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淢y heart is filled with pain and anger,含羞草研究社� he said.
The ethnic violence depicted in the video was emblematic of the near-civil war in Manipur, where mobs rampaged through villages and torched houses, leaving more than 130 people dead since May.
The conflict was sparked by an affirmative action controversy in which Christian Kukis protested a demand from the mostly Hindu Meiteis for a special status that would let them buy land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups and get a share of government jobs.
The clashes have persisted despite the army含羞草研究社檚 presence in Manipur, a state of 3.7 million people tucked in the mountains on India含羞草研究社檚 border with Myanmar that is now divided in two ethnic zones. The warring factions have also formed armed militias, and isolated villages are still raked with gunfire. More than 60,000 people have fled to packed relief camps.
Police said the assault on the two women happened May 4, a day after the violence started in the state. According to a police complaint filed May 18, the two women were part of a family attacked by a mob that killed its two male members. The complaint alleges rape and murder by 含羞草研究社渦nknown miscreants.含羞草研究社�
The state police have made a first arrest in the case, Manipur含羞草研究社檚 Chief Minister Biren Singh said on Twitter, without specifying the number of people who were apprehended.
含羞草研究社淎 thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society,含羞草研究社� Singh said.
India含羞草研究社檚 Supreme Court, meanwhile, expressed concern over the assault and asked the government to inform the court about the steps it has taken to catch those responsible.
含羞草研究社淚n a constitutional democracy, it is unacceptable. If the government does not act, we will,含羞草研究社� Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said.
The two women are now safe in a refugee camp.
They are from the Kuki-Zo community, according to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders含羞草研究社� Forum, a tribal organization in Manipur.
India含羞草研究社檚 Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani called the incident 含羞草研究社渃ondemnable and downright inhuman.含羞草研究社� She said Thursday that investigations were underway and that 含羞草研究社渘o effort will be spared to bring perpetrators to justice.含羞草研究社�
India含羞草研究社檚 main opposition Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge, however, accused the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of 含羞草研究社渢urning democracy and the rule of law into mobocracy.含羞草研究社�
Kharge said Modi should speak about Manipur in Parliament, a demand that has been made by other opposition parties and rights activists.
含羞草研究社淚ndia will never forgive your silence,含羞草研究社� he wrote on Twitter.
Last week the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on Indian authorities to take action to stop the violence in Manipur and protect religious minorities, especially Christians. India含羞草研究社檚 foreign ministry condemned the resolution, describing it as 含羞草研究社渋nterference含羞草研究社� in its internal affairs.
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