A Group Of Men In India Paraded Two Women Naked Then Allegedly Gang Raped Them And People Want Justice
The video of the women being paraded naked was captured during ethnic riots in Manipur, sparking outrage against gender violence in India.
A viral video showing men in India forcefully parading two women naked before allegedly gang raping them has sparked outrage across the country.
The short video clip, which started to go viral on Wednesday July 19, shows a group of men leading two naked women, aged 21 and 42, to an empty field.
The incident had actually happened on May 4th in Manipur, northeast India, where ethnic riots erupted between the Hindu Meitei and Christian Kuki-Zo tribes.
According to the women’s statement to the police, hundreds of men with guns entered their Kuki-Zo community and began robbing and torching their homes.
The women and their families had fled the community when they came across police officers, whom they asked for help.
“My husband was killed by the mob. We pleaded with the police to rescue us,” the 21-year-old’s mother said.
However, the women and the police then came across the mob, and the police left the women.
The 21-year-old’s mother said her brother had tried to stop the men from taking his sister but was killed, according to Al Jazeera.
Both women had allegedly been raped, according to an initial report from the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a group of Indigenous leaders advocating for their rights.
“The gang rape of the women happened after the village was burnt down and two men – one middle-aged and another a teenager – were beaten to death by the mob,” the ITLF statement said.
However, the 21-year-old woman told police that only one of them was gang raped, and a third woman was forced to strip naked, although she is not seen in the video.
Police arrested at least four men on Thursday July 20.
Manipur’s chief minister said that a thorough investigation is underway and authorities will ensure “strict action is taken against all the perpetrators.
“Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society,” he said.
The video went viral, sparking widespread anger and outrage over the issue of sexual violence in India.
Several government officials have criticized the incident as “downright inhuman”.
“I assure the nation, the law will take its course with all its might. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” prime minister Narendra Modi said.
However, the victims have said the government and police have been too slow to respond to this event and many other similar ones.
“We have been talking about such incidents from the time the violence started. Nobody listened to us. The Manipur state turned its back on our community much before May 3,” an Indian social activist, Kimmoui Lhouvum, told Al Jazeera.
The video has also prompted women in Manipur to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment and assault.
“I thought if I don’t do this now, I won’t get another chance. I will always regret that I didn’t even try to get my daughter’s attackers punished,” a Kuki mother told BBC.
India is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman.
According to government data from 2020, a woman is raped every 15 minutes in the country, Al Jazeera reported.
