Indian Outrage Over Group Sexual Assault on Woman... Stripped and Dragged Around

Ethnic Clashes Between Tribes in Northeastern Manipur State

A group of men in India who stripped women naked and dragged them through the streets while sexually assaulting them has sparked delayed outrage, the British BBC reported on the 20th (local time).

On the same day, local police arrested a member of the Meitei tribe on charges of gang rape in Manipur state in the northeast, where inter-tribal bloodshed has continued for several months. The police plan to secure the custody of other accomplices later.

According to local police and others, on May 4th in a village in the Kangpokpi area of Manipur, Meitei men burned down the residences of the Kuki-Zo tribe and killed men before assaulting two women.

Videos recently spread on social media show the perpetrators forcibly stripping the victims' clothes and dragging them through the streets. The men wielding long sticks grope the crying women’s bodies and drag them to nearby fields. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Federation (ITLF) issued a statement saying, "Brutal acts were committed against the Kuki-Zo community," and "the women were raped."

On the 20th (local time), Indian citizens waiting on the platform at Borivali Station in Mumbai.
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

As the video spread on the internet, fierce public criticism arose, and a parliamentary session held in Delhi on the same day was halted amid demands that the incident be addressed as the main topic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "This incident has brought shame to India," and "the perpetrators will never be exempt from punishment." He emphasized, "What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven."

D.Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, also said, "The Supreme Court is deeply disturbed by the video," and "I hope the government will take action against the perpetrators and inform us of the progress; if not, the Supreme Court will intervene directly."

In Manipur, bordering Myanmar, clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribes over the past two months have reportedly resulted in at least 130 deaths and 60,000 displaced persons.

BBC pointed out, "The fact that Prime Minister Modi only expressed his position two months after the incident and that the first arrest of the perpetrators has just been made undermines trust in the authorities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.