India shocked by video in which 2 naked women are humiliated and groped by crowd of men | Abroad

The images, which went viral on Twitter yesterday, are deeply disturbing and painful. Two distraught naked women are pushed around and groped by a group of hundreds of men. The group chases the women into a field before the video cuts. It is not clear what happened before or after.

According to the police, the facts took place months ago, on May 4. A day earlier, large-scale ethnic riots broke out in Manipur. A complaint was subsequently lodged with the police on 18 May by a relative of one of the victims. According to that complaint, one of the women, a 21-year-old indigenous woman, was raped by the group and a third woman was also allegedly forced to take off her clothes. However, that third victim is not visible on the images.

Also, according to the complaint, the same group of men is responsible for the murder of two male relatives, both members of the indigenous Kuki community, just like the women. The male victims were said to have fled to a forest to escape the violence in Kangpokpi district when they were attacked.

Many of the perpetrators are recognizable in the picture, but so far only one of them has been arrested on charges of gang rape.

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Manipur, in northeastern India, has been gripped by communal violence since May between the indigenous Kuki minority and the Meitei majority. Local reports mention shootings, looting and sexual assault. More than 100 people have been killed and dozens injured. At least 40,000 inhabitants of the two population groups have had to flee to refugee camps.

The violence broke out after protests from the Christian Kuki minority. He opposed an application from the Meitei majority, which consists mainly of Hindus. They asked to be included in the Scheduled Tribes list, which would give the group a special status. The Kukis feared that this status would enable the Meiteis to buy land in the hilly areas mainly inhabited by them. A Manipur Supreme Court judge has ordered the state government to consider the request of the Meitei community.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often spoken in the past about the importance of educating girls and empowering women. But despite repeated calls from citizens and opposition leaders, he only spoke out on the crisis in Manipur today. His heart is “full of pain and anger” and the guilty would be punished, he told journalists at parliament today. “What happened to the daughters of Manipur cannot be forgiven,” he said.

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This shocking video raises many questions in India about the attitude of the police and the government. “No government in a country like India is so helpless that it can do nothing when women are treated in this way,” said Vikram Singh, a former police chief in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

India’s Chief Justice Dhananjaya Chandrachud also appeared to criticize the government for failing to control the situation in Manipur. “I think it’s time for the government to really step in and take action because this is just unacceptable,” he said, adding that if the government doesn’t step in, the Supreme Court will step in.

Like the public, India’s Supreme Court is deeply disturbed by the images. It has therefore called on the state government and the national government to take immediate action and to keep the Supreme Court informed.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament has also asked the governments to stop the violence in Manipur and to protect religious minorities. However, according to the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that resolution is interference in internal affairs.