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VIDEO: 2 Women Paraded Naked, Raped and Murdered in India
In India, a video showing two women being paraded naked by a mob in the north-eastern state of Manipur, which has seen severe ethnic strife, has sparked national outrage. The police in India said they have initiated an investigation in the gang-rape and have arrested one man, adding that more will be caught soon.
Parliament’s session in Delhi was disrupted on Thursday as legislators requested a debate on the subject.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi further stated that the act “shamed India” and that “no guilty will go unpunished.”
“I assure the nation that the law will take its course with vigour.” “What happened to Manipur’s daughters can never be forgiven,” he declared, breaking his silence on the state more than two months after the violence began.
DY Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, also expressed worry about the assault, stating the Supreme Court was “deeply disturbed by the video.” When the chief justice told the government to inform the court on the steps being taken against the accused, he said, “we will take action if you don’t.”
For more than two months, deadly violence has wracked Manipur, a picturesque Indian state bordering Myanmar.
Conflicts between members of the Meitei and Kuki indigenous communities have resulted in their full segregation. At least 130 people have killed, with 60,000 affected.
The assault on the women occurred on May 4, according to police, but it grabbed national news on Thursday after the video went viral on social media. The federal government has requested that all social media networks remove the video from their platforms.
On Wednesday, the horrifying footage of the two ladies went viral on social media. A throng of guys drags and gropes them before pushing them into a field.
According to the Indigenous ethnic Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), the atrocities were committed against women from the Kuki-Zo ethnic community in a village in Kangpokpi district. It further claimed that the women had been gang raped.
It is commonly known that during riots and battles, women’s bodies frequently become a battleground, and rape and sexual assault are used as weapons of violence to punish them.
The latest example is the sexual assault on Kuki women in Manipur. The footage of the women weeping, groaning in pain, and pleading with their attackers to show mercy is upsetting to see.
The fact that the first arrest has only been made now, more than two months after the incident was reported to police, does not inspire trust in the authorities, especially given that many of the guys are plainly identifiable on the video.
However, the outcry that followed the video’s release in India has brought the awful murder to light. It has also sparked doubts about the state’s unwillingness to console the survivors, forcing Mr Modi to issue a statement on the ethnic violence that is tearing Manipur apart.
To reestablish trust in Manipur, particularly among the minority Kuki population, the authorities are under pressure to act quickly against the criminals and bring justice to the women. People throughout the country believe that this should not be occurring in modern India.
“The gang rape of the women occurred after the village was burned down and two men – one middle-aged and the other a teenager – were beaten to death by the mob,” according to the ITLF.
However, according to a police report filed by a relative of one of the ladies, only one of them was gang raped. It also stated that a third woman was forced to strip, but she is not visible in the footage.
The crime occurred on May 4, according to police, and a case of abduction, gang rape, and murder was filed in the Thoubal district.
Politicians from all parties have denounced the assault. Smriti Irani, the federal minister, described it as “downright inhuman.”
Several opposition figures also chastised the government of the Bharatiya Janata Party for not doing enough to quiet the violence in the state.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra, the Congress party’s leader, stated the “images of sexual violence against women from Manipur are heart wrenching.”
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, also spoke out. “This heinous act will not be tolerated in Indian society,” he stated.
