Three men have been arrested after two women were paraded naked on a street in India before they were allegedly gang-raped in a field, sparking massive protests.
Manipur’s chief minister, N Biren Singh, announced the arrest amid nationwide outrage over the incident, which took place in Manipur in northeastern India in early May.
One of the alleged criminals, Whirem Heradas Singh, 32, was arrested in Thoubal district this morning, NDTV reported. The man was allegedly seen dragging a woman.
If convicted, the men could face the death penalty, Biren Singh said.
The Chief Minister added: ‘After watching the video, we have decided to condemn the heinous crime and we have termed it as a crime against humanity…
Members of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) chant slogans during a protest for peace and sexual violence against women amid ongoing caste violence in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, in New Delhi on Thursday.
Aam Aadmi Party members light candles to protest the ongoing violence in Manipur.
Members of the All India Magila Congress hold placards with portraits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that read “Break your silence in Manipur Modi” during a protest against sexual violence against women.
A man holds a placard in protest against the ongoing violence in the state of Manipur
‘Further investigation is on and those involved will also be arrested and booked as per law.
‘I would like to appeal that this be the last crime against women, sisters and the elderly. Our sisters should respect their mothers and elders.’
The harrowing video shows two naked women being dragged down a street, while the youths grope their genitals while the victims try to claw them away.
The attack sparked angry protests in New Delhi today, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the brutal attack had ‘shamed India’.
‘The guilty will not be spared. What happened to the girls of Manipur can never be forgiven,’ Modi said in his first comments on ethnic clashes in the remote state ruled by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
‘My heart is full of pain and anger. What has unfolded in Manipur is shameful for any civilized nation,’ he said, urging chief ministers to strengthen law enforcement.
The remote state of Manipur has been gripped by a near-civil war since May, which has left 130 dead and seen mobs killing villages and torching homes.
Women’s Congress members protest sexual violence against women and peace in the ongoing caste violence in India’s northeastern state of Manipur.
Women’s rights activists light a candle to protest the ongoing violence against women and girls in the state of Manipur
The harrowing video shows two naked women being dragged down a road in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, while young men grope their genitals as the victims try to pry them from their claws. Image: A video taken from footage showing a crowd of men
The attack sparked angry protests in New Delhi today (pictured), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the brutal attack had ‘shamed India’
‘The guilty will not be spared. What happened to the girls of Manipur can never be forgiven,’ says Modi today (pictured)
In the latest violence, the two women were paraded through the streets after a mob of men tore their clothes and began groping their bodies. According to locals, the terrified women were seen being taken to a field, where they were gang-raped.
A preliminary investigation showed that the attack on the two women took place on May 4 but videos of them being dragged and stripped by the armed miscreants went viral on Wednesday, police said.
The two victims were part of a family that was attacked by a mob that killed two of its male members, allegedly raped and killed by ‘unknown miscreants’, according to a police complaint.
The Supreme Court of India expressed concern over the attack and asked the government to inform the court about the steps taken to arrest the accused.
“This is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy. If the government doesn’t act, we will,’ said Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
A member of the youth wing of the Congress Party of India was detained by the police on Thursday during a protest against deadly communal clashes in Manipur.
Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard to enforce curfew in Imphal, the capital of India’s northeastern state of Manipur, on Monday.
A burnt-out house shell stands after ethnic clashes and riots in Sugunu, northeastern Indian state of Manipur, on Wednesday.
People hold placards during a protest against sexual violence against women and peace in the ongoing caste violence in India’s northeastern state of Manipur.
The two women are now safe in a refugee camp.
According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum of Manipur, they belong to the Kuki-Jo community.
Ethnic violence in the state erupted in May over an affirmative action debate in which Christian Kukis protested a demand from the mostly Hindu Meitis for a special status that would have allowed them to buy and get a share of land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups. Government job.
Clashes continue despite the army’s presence in Manipur, a hilly state of 3.7 million people on India’s border with Myanmar that is now divided into two ethnic regions.
The two warring factions have also formed armed militias, and isolated villages are still caught in the crossfire. More than 60,000 people fled to packed relief camps.
India’s Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani called the attack on the two women ‘reprehensible and completely inhumane’. He said on Thursday that the investigation was ongoing and that ‘no effort will be spared to bring the culprits to justice.’
Mallikarjun Kharge, president of India’s main opposition Congress party, however, accused the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of “democracy and the rule of law”.
Kharge said Modi should speak about Manipur in Parliament, a demand made by other opposition parties and rights activists.
He wrote on Twitter, ‘India will never forgive your silence.
Last week the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Indian authorities to stop the violence in Manipur and take steps to protect religious minorities, especially Christians. India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the proposal, describing it as an ‘interference’ in its internal affairs.
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