Video of alleged rape draws first public comments from PM Modi on Manipur

A video of two women being paraded naked by a group of men in Manipur has elicited first public comments from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the ethnic violence that has engulfed the relatively remote Indian state.

“I am filled with anguish and anger. The incident of Manipur is a shame for any civilized society,” Modi told reporters before the start of the latest parliament session on Thursday. “I assure the nation, no guilty will be spared. Law will take its course with all its might. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.”

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The horrific video — of an incident that took place on May 4 — was viral on social media overnight, triggering public anger. India’s Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the videos, calling them “deeply disturbing and asked the federal and state govern-ments, which are both led by Modi’s party, to report steps taken.”

Until Thursday Modi, who faces re-election early next year, hadn’t said anything about the violence in Manipur.

Angry mobs have killed more than 150 people, according to offi-cial count, and tens of thousands have been displaced. The con-flict centers around tensions between the area’s largely-Christian tribal groups and the majority Meitei Hindu over access to affirma-tive action benefits.

Manipur police said a case of abduction, gangrape, and murder has been registered against unknown armed miscreants. Investi-gations have started, according to local media reports.

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