Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally broken his months-long silence on the issue of two women allegedly molested in Manipur, calling the acts unforgivable and shameful.
In his remarks regarding the deadly ethnic clashes in the country's northeast on Thursday, he said that the sexual assaults of the victims while they were being paraded naked by a mob would not be ignored.
Modi Speaks Out on Manipur Molesting Controversy
Video footage of the incident triggered massive outrage in the nation after it was widely shared on social media platforms on Wednesday. The video spread like wildfire despite the internet in the region being largely blocked and journalists being locked out from the remote state.
Modi said that the guilty will not be spared, who made the remarks shortly before a parliamentary session. However, the Indian prime minister did not refer to the violence directly but urged heads of state government to ensure women's safety. He argued that the incident was "shameful for any civilized nation," as per ABC News.
The ethnic violence observed in the video underscored the near-civil war in Manipur, where mobs of people rampaged through villages and torched houses. Officials reported that since May, there have already been more than 130 people who have died.
The conflict in the region was sparked by an affirmative action controversy where Christian Kukis protested against a demand from the mostly Hindu Meiteis for a special status. That status would allow them to purchase land in the hills that are populated by Kukis and other tribal groups and be given a share of government jobs.
The violence has persisted despite the Indian army's presence in Manipur, which has a roughly 3.7 million population. The region is tucked in the mountains of India's border with Myanmar and has since become divided into two ethnic zones.
After Modi concluded his statement regarding the recent sexual assault incident, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh posted on Twitter that state police have already made the first arrest in the case, according to Reuters.
Investigating the Sexual Assault Case
Singh added that a thorough investigation was already ongoing and noted that officials will ensure strict action is taken against all of the incident's perpetrators. He said that consequences would include the possibility of capital punishment.
Following the incident, authorities opened a case of gang rape and have begun interrogations of more than three dozen men. A preliminary probe showed that the sexual assault on the two female victims happened on May 4. The video of the incident showed them being dragged, groped, and paraded naked by armed men.
India's chief justice, DY Chandarachud, also spoke out regarding the incident, calling it "deeply disturbing." He added that using women as an instrument in an area of communal strife is the "grossest of Constitutional abuse."
The conflict in Manipur has caused more than 60,000 people to be displaced from their homes, many of whom were forced to live in relief camps. Authorities deployed roughly 10,000 army and paramilitary soldiers to the area in an attempt to restore law and order, said Sky News.
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