Modi condemns 'unforgivable' rape of two women dragged through streets
Narendra Modi has condemned the assault of two women in India's Manipur state who were filmed being dragged through the streets as men molested them.
India's prime minister had previously avoided commenting on violent ethnic clashes in the region, but broke his silence on Thursday.
The video triggered outrage across India and was widely shared on social media despite the internet being largely blocked in remote Manipur state.
It shows two naked women being surrounded by scores of young men who grope them and drag them to a field.
Police said the assault on the two women happened May 4, a day after the violence started in the state.
According to a police complaint filed May 18, the two women were part of a family attacked by a mob that killed its two male members. The complaint alleges rape and murder by “unknown miscreants."
The violence has come to wider attention via the video being shared on social media this week.
On Twitter, the hashtag 'Manipur' was trending on Thursday, with more than a million mentions at one point.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) said it has approached Twitter for the video to be removed.
Modi has pledged that those guilty "will not be spared," adding: "What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven."
Without making any direct references to the violence in Manipur, he urged heads of state governments to ensure the safety of women, and said the incident is "shameful for any civilised nation".
One of the woman has alleged that the police were "there with the mob" when the rape and assault took place.
Speaking to The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity, she said: "The police picked us up from near home, and took us a little away from the village and left us on the road with the mob. We were given to them by police."
Manipur's Chief Minister Biren Singh said that one person has been arrested and a "thorough investigation" is underway.
India's Supreme Court, meanwhile, expressed its concern over the assault and asked the government to inform the court about the steps it has taken to apprehend the accused.
The country's main opposition Congress party president, Mallikarjun Kharge, criticised the government of "turning democracy and the rule of law into mobocracy".
Why is there violence in Manipur?
Manipur state lies near India's border with Myanmar and has a population of 3.7 million.
Since May, more than 130 people have been left dead in the region as mobs rampage through villages.
The violence has been linked with growing tensions between two ethnic groups: Christian Kukis and Hindu Meiteis.
Kukis had conducted protests to demand from the majority Meites a special status that would let them buy land in areas populated by Kukis and other tribal groups. They were also calling for a share of government jobs.
Despite a military presence in the region, the violence has continued and the two warring groups have created their own militias.
More than 60,000 people have fled Manipur state since the violence began.
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