One victim described her ordeal after she and another Christian woman were allegedly paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob of apparently Hindu men in Manipur, northeast India, where ethnic violence has erupted in recent months.
Horrifying video showing two naked women being dragged down a road while groped by men, before they are allegedly raped in a field, has sparked fury across the country.
The victims are reportedly two women from the Christian Kuki tribe between the ages of 20 and 60, and are now safe in a refugee camp following vile attacks that took place in early May.
One woman told the Associated Press: “They made us take off our clothes and said they would kill us if we didn’t do what they told us. Then they made us walk around naked. They abused us. They touched us everywhere… on our breasts, our genitals.’
The younger woman’s father and brother were beaten to death while trying to protect her from the violent mob, The Times reports, northeastern state officials said.
It comes as women in the state set fire to the home of one of the main suspects in the attack amid angry protests gripping the nation.
Women with torches shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration demanding the restoration of peace in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur.
Harrowing video shows two naked women being dragged down a road in India’s northeastern state of Manipur as young men touch their genitals as the victims try to get away from their clawing hands. Pictured: A video capture of the footage showing the crowd of men
The remote state of Manipur has been in the throes of a near-civil war since May, which has killed 130 people and seen mobs rampage through villages, killing people and burning houses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke a two-month silence after the video went viral to condemn the brutal assault, saying it has “embarrassed India” and that the “the guilty will not be forgiven.’
“What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” Modi said in his first remarks on ethnic clashes in the remote state ruled by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party.
‘My heart is full of pain and anger. The Manipur incident that has come to light is shameful for any civilized nation,” he said, urging top ministers to strengthen law enforcement.
Hours after Modi vowed to crack down, the main suspect, a Manipur state resident, was arrested on Thursday.
Three others were also arrested and a police official said they were tracking at least 30 others involved in the crime.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke two months of silence after video went viral to condemn the brutal assault
NDTV named one of the alleged perpetrators as Huirem Heradas Singh, 32, who was allegedly seen dragging one of the women.
If convicted, the men could face the death penalty, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said.
The Chief Minister added: “After viewing the video, we made the decision to condemn the heinous crime and label it a crime against humanity…”
This morning, women in the state attacked the home of a suspect who He allegedly dragged the two tribal women onto the streets in May and then incited a mob to rape and parade them naked, police said Friday.
The sexual assault took place more than two months ago, but captured national attention after a short video went viral on social media earlier this week.
“Local women threw stones and burned some parts of the house belonging to the main defendant in a village,” said Hemant Pandey, a senior police officer in the capital city Imphal.
People hold placards during a protest over sexual violence against women and for peace in ongoing ethnic violence in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur.
Women’s rights activists hold a candlelight vigil to protest ongoing violence against women and girls in Manipur state.
‘We ask the women to protest peacefully as there is intense unrest. We understand your anger,” she said.
Women’s rights groups planned protests in various parts of India demanding justice and speedy investigations into the latest incident to raise questions about the safety of women in the country.
“We want to know why the police did not take quick action when they knew that women were raped and displayed naked in Manipur,” said Radhika Burman, a student from the eastern city of Kolkata.
The Youth Congress of India organized a protest against the Manipur incident, with activists holding a candlelight vigil calling for peace in the state.
The group’s state chairman, Manoj Lubana, criticized the BJP and Modi, saying the prime minister “has time to visit foreign countries, but he has not yet visited the conflict-affected state.”
The sexual assault was denounced by the victims in May after ethnic clashes began in Manipur.
The shell of a house burned down after ethnic clashes and riots in Sugnu, in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, on Wednesday.
The fighting was sparked by a court order directing the government to consider extending the special benefits enjoyed by the Kuki tribal people to the majority Meitei population as well.
At least 140 people have been killed and more than 60,000 have fled their homes since the violence broke out.
Houses have been torched as mobs rampaged through villages, with some 4,400 houses destroyed and 357 churches burned.
The riots are believed to have sparked a demand by the mostly Hindu Meitei people for special status that would allow them to buy land in the hills, which are largely populated by Kuki Christians and other tribal groups.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.