New Delhi, (EFE).- A video of two women forced to parade naked in a state in northeast India, affected for months by a wave of ethnic violence that has left more than a hundred dead, sparked the outrage in the Asian country.
The video, which began circulating on social media yesterday, shows two naked women surrounded by dozens of men on a road, some of them armed with sticks, in the northeastern state of Manipur.
“I assure the nation that the guilty will not be spared. The law will take its course in full force, what has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgotten,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today during a speech to mark the start of the monsoon parliamentary session.
This is the prime minister’s first reference to violence in the state since bloody clashes began last May.
police investigation
The head of the Government of Manipur, Biren Singh, said for his part on Twitter that “the Police have taken action and made the first arrest this morning.”
“A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure that strict action is taken against all perpetrators, including the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, in our society there is no place for heinous acts,” Singh said.
Outrage across the country
The incident has aroused a wave of indignation, both among political parties and civil society organizations, as well as in the country’s highest judicial body.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud today said the incident is “simply unacceptable” and said the court will act “if the government doesn’t,” according to statements reported by the Indian Express newspaper.
According to the Manipur Police, the incident took place on May 4 in the Thoubal district, and the two women forced to parade naked belong to the Kuki-Zomi tribal community, according to a statement from the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF). .
ethnic violence
The northeastern state has been engulfed in a wave of ethnic violence, which erupted on May 3 when a youth march of mostly Kukis, tribes concentrated mostly in the mountainous areas, protested against a court request to classify the majority Meitei, who reside in the valley areas of the state, as “tribal,” a status that would allow them to spread out into the mountains and gain government posts.
This gave rise to a conflict that has pitted both tribal groups against each other, leaving 142 dead according to government figures.
More than 50,000 people have been displaced by the violence, and for the moment the efforts of the authorities to mediate in the conflict have not been able to put an end to the confrontations.
