INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (20) called the alleged sexual assault of women in the northeastern state of Manipur “shameful”, urging heads of state governments to ensure the safety of women.
Videos have surfaced on social media purporting to show two women paraded naked on a street in violence-hit Manipur after what townspeople on the videos say was a gang rape. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.
Modi said the incident had filled his heart with grief and anger. “Any civil society should be ashamed by it,” he said ahead of a parliament session.
At least 80 people have been killed and more than 40,000 have fled their homes since clashes broke out in Manipur in early May between ethnic groups.
State police have made the first arrest in the case, Manipur chief minister Biren Singh said on Twitter, without specifying how many people were arrested.
“A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, India’s highest court said it was deeply disturbed by the images and asked the government to inform the court of the steps taken to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure such incidents were not repeated.
“In a constitutional democracy it is unacceptable,” said chief justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
He summoned both attorney general and solicitor general, the two topmost law officers of the government, to convey the court’s concerns.
“We called you because the court is deeply disturbed by the visuals which have appeared in the media,” a three-judge bench headed by the chief justice said.
Chandrachud gave the centre and Manipur government an ultimatum to either bring the perpetrators to book or step aside for the judiciary to take action.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the video, the court said the visuals indicate “gross constitutional violations and infractions of human rights”.
The court listed the suo motu case for hearing on July 28.
(With inputs from Reuters)
