Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to protect the “daughters of Manipur” from ethnic violence after two Christian women were reportedly gang raped by a Hindu group of men.
A video that has been shared online revealed the women being paraded naked and groped by a group of what appear to be Hindu men before being dragged into a field where they were allegedly raped, per The Times.
The women, one in her 20s and the other in her 50s, were apparently seen pleading with the mob not to harm them, as ethnic-based violence has raged across the state. When the younger woman’s father and brother attempted to protect her, the mob allegedly beat them to death.
Modi said that the “guilty will not be spared,” and that what has “happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.” He went on to urge the heads of the state governments to ensure the safety of women and stated that the incident that took place on May 4 was “shameful for any civilized nation.”
He added: “My heart is filled with pain and anger.”
The attack comes amid rising tensions in the country that could turn into a civil war. The report noted that around 140 people have been killed over the past two months, as mobs have torched houses and attacked locals.
The unrest apparently comes after mostly Hindu Meitei have demanded special status that would allow them to purchase land in the hills populated by Christian Kukis and various other tribal groups, as well as getting a share of government jobs.
Manipur, made up of around 3.7 million people, have split into two ethnic zones. Each opposing side has formed militias and villages have been blistered with gunfire.
More than 60,000 people have fled to relief camps, as 4,400 homes have been destroyed and 357 churches have been burned to the ground.
“We know the mob was Hindu because in the video the dialect they are speaking is that spoken by the Meitei,” said an anonymous local in Manipur. “Because the media isn’t reporting all these crimes, people think things are better — but they are not. The violence has never actually ended in all this time.”
