Outrage in India over video of molested and naked women displayed in Manipur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has broken his silence on the state’s violence and called for law and order.

A video of two women being paraded naked by a group of men in a village in Manipur, northeast India, that went viral on social media on Wednesday horrified society and was harshly criticised by political leaders, public figures, and human rights campaigners.

In a press conference ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the situation in Manipur for the first time. He added that the episode has embarrassed 1.4 billion Indians and promised that “not a single perpetrator will be spared.”

“The incident that has come to light in Manipur is a disgrace to any civilised society.” The entire country is ashamed… Because of this, all 140 crore people are ashamed. “I appeal to all chief ministers across the country to strengthen laws and take stringent action against crime, particularly against our mothers and daughters,” PM Modi added. For several months, he has remained silent on the ethnic violence happening in the isolated state.

The incident depicted in the frightening video purportedly occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi area, a day after massive violence sparked by an ethnic conflict erupted. According to Indian media, a police complaint stated that numerous ladies were abducted by a mob and stripped naked. The group also allegedly gang-raped the ladies and murdered one of them’s family members. According to The Wire, both of the women in the video claim that the police were present at the incident but did not assist them. Another story in The Print earlier this month supposedly revealed a full account of the incident from one of the women in the video.

On Thursday, a day after the two-month-old video surfaced, Manipur police said one of the males in the video had been arrested. N Biren Singh, the state’s chief minister, declared that an inquiry is ongoing and that harsh action will be taken against all culprits, including the potential of execution punishment for those who have committed rape. Meanwhile, the Indian government has asked Twitter and other social media platforms to remove the video while the incident is investigated, according to news agency ANI, citing sources.

Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minister for Minority Affairs, reacted to the video on Wednesday night, calling it “condemnable and downright inhuman.”

The opposition parties blasted the Modi government and PM Modi personally for failing to address the issue in Manipur. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge declared that “humanity has died in Manipur,” claiming that the Narendra Modi government and the ruling BJP party “changed Democracy and the rule of law into Mobocracy by destroying the delicate social fabric of the state.” Other Congress leaders, as well as members of parliament from a variety of other parties, vehemently condemned the film and demanded a response from the Prime Minister.

Manipur is in serious turmoil after violence erupted in May in response to rallies by indigenous tribes seeking tribal status, particularly the Kukis, against the dominant Meiteis community’s aspirations. The ensuing clashes have claimed over 150 deaths and displaced tens of thousands of people. Earlier this month, India’s Supreme Court instructed both the federal and state governments to “make sufficient arrangements to ensure the protection of lives and property of all citizens and residents of Manipur.”