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