broke more than two months of public silence over in India香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淭he guilty will not be spared. What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播渟hameful for any civilized nation.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淢y heart is filled with pain and anger,香蕉视频直播� 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香蕉视频直播檚 presence in Manipur, a state of 3.7 million people tucked in the mountains on India香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播渦nknown miscreants.香蕉视频直播�
The state police have made a first arrest in the case, Manipur香蕉视频直播檚 Chief Minister Biren Singh said on Twitter, without specifying the number of people who were apprehended.
香蕉视频直播淎 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,香蕉视频直播� Singh said.
India香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淚n a constitutional democracy, it is unacceptable. If the government does not act, we will,香蕉视频直播� 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香蕉视频直播� Forum, a tribal organization in Manipur.
India香蕉视频直播檚 Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani called the incident 香蕉视频直播渃ondemnable and downright inhuman.香蕉视频直播� She said Thursday that investigations were underway and that 香蕉视频直播渘o effort will be spared to bring perpetrators to justice.香蕉视频直播�
India香蕉视频直播檚 main opposition Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge, however, accused the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of 香蕉视频直播渢urning democracy and the rule of law into mobocracy.香蕉视频直播�
Kharge said Modi should speak about Manipur in Parliament, a demand that has been made by other opposition parties and rights activists.
香蕉视频直播淚ndia will never forgive your silence,香蕉视频直播� 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香蕉视频直播檚 foreign ministry condemned the resolution, describing it as 香蕉视频直播渋nterference香蕉视频直播� in its internal affairs.
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